German Chancellor Candidate from CDU: Europe Is Tired of Scholz
- 15.12.2024, 13:35
EU leaders don't want to meet with him.
CDU/CSU Chancellor Candidate Friedrich Merz has sharply criticized the current head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, who is running for the post again as a candidate for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Deutsche Welle reports.
"Unfortunately, we have to admit that most European heads of state and government no longer want to meet with the German Federal Chancellor, who either sits silently for hours or preaches about the structure of the world," Merz wrote in his podcast MerzMail on Sunday, December 15. He called the current German government's European policy "a complete failure."
To support his assertion with an example, the Christian Democrat recalled the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Poland last week, where the two NATO allies discussed policy towards Ukraine. "And once again he was absent - the German Federal Chancellor," Merz wrote.
In addition, the current German government shows "demonstrative indifference to European policy," Merz claims. According to him, such an attitude not only harms Germany itself, but is also becoming an increasingly heavy burden for European policy and Germany's relations with its neighbors in the European Union.
In this regard, the CDU candidate for chancellor recalled that before the ceremonial opening of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Macron met with US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "The German Chancellor was also invited, but apparently did not want to go to Paris," wrote Friedrich Merz.
Merz on Germany's poor participation in European politics
Merz also criticized the "factual absence" of Germany's participation in the European legislative process. According to him, the term "German Vote" has already emerged in Brussels, due to Germany constantly abstaining during voting. Moreover, some members of the government in Berlin, such as German Economy Minister Robert Habeck [candidate for Chancellor of Germany from the party "Alliance 90/Greens" - Ed.] do not attend such meetings at all, Merz emphasized.
As a result, over the past three years, the German government has not come up with a single initiative in areas such as migration or economic policy that could be discussed in Brussels, the CDU candidate for Chancellor post complained.