German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for a thorough overhaul of the European Union's budget, arguing that current priorities should be reoriented towards defense and economic competitiveness. His remarks come as a major political battle looms among member states over the next budgetary guidelines.
Speaking at a Charlemagne Prize ceremony in Aachen, Friedrich Merz stressed the need to adapt European finances to an international context marked by increasing geopolitical tensions and heightened global economic competition.
The German leader is advocating for a European budget more focused on strategic investments, particularly in defense, innovation, and industrial modernization. He believes the Union must strengthen its capacity to act autonomously in an increasingly unstable international environment.
This position is part of an already tense debate within the European institutions. The European Parliament is calling for an overall increase in the EU budget, while several member states oppose a significant rise in common spending.
Germany, for its part, rejects the idea of a new joint European loan and insists on adherence to budgetary discipline rules. Berlin also emphasizes the need to limit debt and prioritize economic modernization over expanding public spending.
The upcoming discussions are therefore expected to be particularly difficult, as the European Union seeks to find a balance between strategic ambitions, financial constraints and political divergences between its member states.
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