BGA Senior Advisor and former German ambassador, Peter Schoof, has contributed the commentary below for the Greek daily „Kathimerini”. In this article, he provides a sharp and timely analysis of Friedrich Merz,  who after having been elected chancellor on May 6th has already visited the President of France, Emanuel Macron, in Paris today.

Merz steps into office at a time of growing political polarization and rising external pressure. His political comeback—after years in the private sector—has been marked by a shift of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) more to the right, a tough stance on migration, and a rather confrontational election campaign.

Yet, post-election, Merz has already reversed course on several key positions. Most notably, he is now pushing to relax Germany’s debt brake to fund defense and infrastructure investment, a position that required cooperation with former political adversaries like the Greens. While this pivot may be fiscally prudent, it has strained his credibility within the conservative base.
Schoof’s piece also explores Merz’s foreign policy outlook: greater European autonomy in defense, a renewed partnership with France, and pragmatic engagement with Turkey. However, his tough rhetoric on migration within the coalition raise questions about cohesion—both domestically and in the EU.

This is a pivotal moment for Germany. As Schoof rightly points out, much of Europe’s future stability will depend on whether Merz can transition from a polarizing campaigner to a unifying statesman.

🔗 Read the complete opinion piece here: https://lnkd.in/e93ayxwp