German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been increasingly critical of the EU, while drawing closer to one of the bloc's biggest critics: President Donald Trump.

  • German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been growing increasingly critical of the European Union.

  • His tone marks a notable shift compared to his more EU-friendly predecessor.

  • Meanwhile, Merz has been building a relationship with EU-critical U.S. President Donald Trump.

The historically EU-friendly Merz, a former member of the European Parliament, now has a long list of complaints about the bloc. This has included objections to an increase in the EU’s new long-term budget that was proposed last month, as well as calling the bloc out for sluggishness and complex bureaucracy. Germany was also among the louder critics of the EU-U.S. trade agreement.

  • gusgalarnyk@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    4 days ago

    Merz sucks, the conservatives suck, and I hope Germany can survive this corporate illness long enough to vote in people who care about improving Germany and the world. The CDU will worsen this country until the AFD win unless the people push back at every level.

    We can have a better life in Germany, if we don’t vote for the defenders of the rich and wealthy.

  • Lumidaub@feddit.orgEnglish
    70·
    5 days ago

    For fuck’s sake, what fucking happened to “let’s be more independent of the US”, you 1 fucking Pimmel?

    • B-TR3E@feddit.orgEnglish
      121·
      5 days ago

      You did not really believe a single word that Merz said? I’d not even ask him for the time.

        • Tryenjer@lemmy.worldEnglish
          31·
          4 days ago

          First, European countries are vassal states, and second, our politicians probably want the same thing Trump has now: absolute power unfettered by other branches of the state power.

          • Lumidaub@feddit.orgEnglish
            5·
            5 days ago

            Idk, I’m a law-abiding citizen, my references are just at least 100 years old and from my Sturm und Drang time.

            • B-TR3E@feddit.orgEnglish
              12·
              5 days ago

              The “Grüne Minna” might indeed be a hundred years by now, but for Hauptmann’s (and the better parts of German literature’s) sake get an idea about Sturm&Drang. You’d really miss something you’d prefer to know. Or maybe it’s just me refusing to let my belief in culture and humanity go…

                • B-TR3E@feddit.orgEnglish
                  17·
                  5 days ago

                  You put the “green white party bus” somewhere 100 years ago. Which is technically wrong, because white green “Manschaftswagen” were not in use before the 1970s. Green transporters for arrested subjects AKA “Grüne Minna”, however, were a thing in the 1920s. Maybe the expression “Grüne Minna” even existed during the Sturm&Drang period which was mid 18th century, which I doubt. Nevertheless both times are about 200 years apart and positioning the Sturm&Drang “at least 100 years” in the past is technically correct. In the same way that WWII was at least 10min ago. Putting white-.green Volkswagen minivans into the Sturm und Drang, though, is nothing one should do in public.

  • einkorn@feddit.orgEnglish
    53·
    5 days ago

    Well, as a former(?) BlackRock lobbyist, you have to keep the transatlantic channel open. 🤷‍♂️

    • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      37·
      5 days ago

      Its so damn transparent too. Everything he does is just corrupt to the core. Exactly the kind of politician fascists love to use, because nothing helps them more than a leader with no spine.

    • B-TR3E@feddit.orgEnglish
      152·
      5 days ago

      That’s a bit extreme, IMO. Commiting suicide, mass murder, joining a death cult, ok. But voting green? Never. Seriously, you could vote FDP as well, if you’ve got a faible for liars, traitors, opportunists, antisocial politics and open corruption. That at least has some taditional value and the FDP is some sort of constant and controlled factor of corruption and criminal intentions. That’s OK if you accept that no society will ever exist without self-destructive elements. But green? Why? Because they’re too incompetent to cause real damage? These days are over.

  • Muscle_Meteor@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    46·
    5 days ago

    Wow… Imagine a German Chancellor complaining about buraucracy in the EU…

    That reminds me i need to make an appointment to go into to an office to file paperwork to change my address instead of just updating it online like a normal fucking country…

    • declaredreprimand@piefed.socialEnglish
      3·
      5 days ago

      Yeah, the irony is palpable.

      I myself need to make an appointment to see if they will let me sign up for an unrelated appointment…

      • einkorn@feddit.orgEnglish
        8·
        5 days ago

        As registration is managed on a local level, this entirely depends on where you (are going to) live.

        • Mîm@lemmy.zipEnglish
          3·
          5 days ago

          True. But it is available in quite a lot of places. In some states even all local agencies managed to switch to the federal service.

          If you are living in eastern Germany though, you are most likely out of luck. It’s… quite barren over there in that regard.

  • Saleh@feddit.orgEnglish
    37·
    5 days ago

    Remember when people thought Merz was to stand in for Ukraine, because he had made many claims towards that during his campaign?

    Yeah…

      • Saleh@feddit.orgEnglish
        261·
        5 days ago

        It is in Germany’s security interest to keep Russian as a mayor military power as far away as possible. It is also in Germany’s interest to build a rules based international order, where wars of aggression are punished, although Germany’s hypocrisy around the US and especially around Israel is undermining that independently of Ukraine/Russia.

          • Kissaki@feddit.orgEnglish
            7·
            4 days ago

            We may not like it, but it is a fact… the faster we accept that, the better.

            What does it mean to accept that? Try to get in good standing with them? Make agreements and treaties that they will ignore to their liking? Let them and everyone do what they want, and not demand or voice own views and values?

            Trying to keep a rules based international order is all we have left. Even if it does not always apply in practice, it’s better than not having it.

          • einkorn@feddit.orgEnglish
            10·
            5 days ago

            “As far away as possible” in this context also means in terms of capabilities. Every missile fired at Ukraine, every Russian soldier fallen, is one that is not available to attack Europe. So yes in that sense Ukraine is doing our “Drecksarbeit” or dirty business as Merz said himself.

          • Unpigged@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            4·
            5 days ago

            Brief reminder of operation Spiderweb. That action alone secured more long term safety of countries further away.

  • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    12·
    5 days ago

    I hope somebody is making Hindenburg comparisons.

    as well as calling the bloc out for sluggishness and complex bureaucracy.

    Uhh, the German is saying this?

  • xiwi@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    82·
    4 days ago

    Germany? Cozying up to genocidal fascist freaks? Shocked!

    Anyway, there is no saving that wretched place, death and misery are the only thing they are able to envision it seems.

  • Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    9·
    5 days ago

    Can’t read this without registering, but there is no such thing as an EU-US trade agreement.

    This appears to be more CNBC trying to appease Trump than news.