Merz After European Council: Europe Must Be Economically Strong, EU Budget Should Not Jump 50 Percent from 2028
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave a positive assessment at the conclusion of the Autumn 2026 European Council summit in Brussels, saying the European Union is making progress on key issues, particularly competitiveness. He emphasised that only an economically strong and sovereign Europe can hold its own on the world stage.
Support was given to a Franco-German initiative on European trade policy, which would enable the EU to respond more swiftly to global distortions of competition. With a view to the negotiations on the EU budget from 2028 onwards, Merz called for greater financial restraint, saying that given the need for fiscal consolidation in the member states, an increase of around 50 percent in the European budget would not be appropriate, and that Germany is among the countries calling for a significant cap on spending.
Merz also pointed to the agreement reached with France on the future of the European automotive industry, combining a commitment to climate targets with greater technology neutrality and a stronger focus on alternative fuels, with the 2035 targets to be met while leaving the door open to different pathways to carbon neutrality. Heads of state and government will discuss competitiveness and the single market again early next year.
(Source: German Federal Government)
Source: German Federal Government
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：GSM国家站图库（Wikimedia Commons开放授权） / Image: GSM country library (Wikimedia Commons, open license)
