The chancellor candidate of the Christian Democratic Union CDU/CSU in the upcoming German elections, Friedrich Merz, after the meeting of the leaders of the European People’s Party on Saturday in Berlin, asked for a joint action of the European Union when it comes to the moves of the future president of the USA, Donald Trump.
“As long as the members of the European Union are united, they enjoy respect all over the world, including in the USA. And as long as they are divided, no one will take us seriously,” said Friedrich Merz after a two-day meeting of the leaders of the European People’s Party (EPP) in Berlin.
The president of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and chancellor candidate of the CDU/CSU Union in the upcoming German parliamentary elections said that this is the “last call to action”.
“The inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday will accelerate our efforts to concentrate forces and act together,” Merz said.
He asserted that the future US president is “predictable” because he “does what he says, thinks what he says and does what he says.”
When it comes to increasing the defense budget, which Trump has already stated as one of the conditions for membership in NATO, Merz advocated for an increase in the budget, but not without prior agreement on how these funds will be invested.
“We in the EPP are in agreement that a lot more must be done in terms of increasing the budget, and it must be done jointly,” said Merz. At the same time, he added that it is necessary to harmonize standards within the EU when it comes to equipment or ammunition.
EPP President Manfred Weber expressed optimism about the upcoming mandate of Donald Trump.
“The experiences of recent years have shown that we Europeans are wise enough to face challenges,” said Weber.
The two-day meeting of European commoners was also attended by Croatian Prime Minister and HDZ president Andrej Plenković, who also had a conversation with Friedrich Merz on the sidelines of the meeting.
(Vijesti.ba/HINA)
