New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has shared his concerns about the situation in Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his first trip to Brussels for meetings with senior EU officials.
In a phone call with Mr Netanyahu, Mr Merz “expressed hope that negotiations on a ceasefire would soon get under way,” according to a German government spokesperson, who added that the situation in Syria was also discussed.
Before he was elected, Mr Merz pledged to maintain his country's strong ties to Israel. He vowed to increase weapons sales and to find a way to host Mr Netanyahu despite the arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza that has been issued by the International Criminal Court.
But for now, Mr Merz's priority has been to signal his commitment to strengthening Europe's economy and defence. After back-to-back visits to Paris and Warsaw, Mr Merz arrived in Brussels on Friday.
Addressing reporters, Mr Merz said he told US President Donald Trump on Thursday that any trade negotiation must be conducted with all 27 EU member states and revealed that Mr Trump had invited him to Washington for further talks.
Mr Merz also said EU red tape should be cut to help make businesses more competitive in the face of fierce competition from China and the US. New rules on environmental and human rights supply chain standards have been criticised for being too burdensome.
“Some regulations need to be reduced,” said Mr Merz. “We hope that we'll be able to repeal certain directives,” he added, citing in particular the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The set of rules requires large companies to address the “adverse human rights and environmental impacts” of their supply chains worldwide.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, proposed in February to postpone the CSDDD implementation until 2028.
But that did not go far enough for Mr Merz, who echoed calls by businesses for the regulations to be scrapped. Environmental groups, however, have defended the text, denouncing the EU's unravelling of green laws.
Mr Merz also said that one reason for his reluctance to back the issuing of joint EU debt to finance military spending was his concern about rising state indebtedness around the world worldwide.
While the EU could raise money by issuing common debt, this should only happen in exceptional circumstances, he said, adding that Europe's defence needs could also be addressed by improving efficiency rather than spending more.
“I am indeed somewhat worried about the constantly rising national debt around the world – not just in Europe, but also, for example, in the United States,” he said.
“I do wonder how long it will be possible not only to refinance the debt itself but also to finance the interest payments. We cannot keep taking on debt indefinitely.”
