Cabinet commences its work
The new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is travelling to France and Poland today. The constituent meeting of his cabinet continued into the late evening.
Berlin (d.de/dpa) – Following the election of the chancellor yesterday, Germany’s new government immediately commenced its work. As one of his first official acts, the new Chancellor Friedrich Merz assigned duties within the government by what is known as an organisational decree during a constituent cabinet meeting in the late evening.
Merz is travelling to France and Poland today. The issues he will discuss with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris will include how Europe can become more independent following the US change in course on foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
In Warsaw, he is likely to talk to Prime Minister Donald Tusk not only about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, but also about irregular migration. Merz has announced a tightening of border controls and an increase in the number of people turned back at the border. Poland views the measures with scepticism.
Merz wants to be more active in terms of foreign policy than his predecessor Scholz. “The world is in such disarray that a German chancellor has to take care of foreign policy and also of European policy to a greater extent than before, to a much greater extent than in the past decades,” he told German public service broadcaster ARD.
The chancellor will be accompanied to Paris and Warsaw by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.