Sawt Falasteen - 'Coming home': Merz signals Germany back in EU driving seat

After back-to-back trips to boost ties with key neighbours Paris and Warsaw, Merz's Friday visit sought to turn the page on months of political turbulence that left Berlin hamstrung on the EU stage.

"Germany needs to play a strong role, an active role, in the European Union, and the German government is going to do so," he told a press conference alongside EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

"In a way, I'm coming home to Brussels, coming home to Europe," said the German leader -- who, although in many ways an Atlantist, cut his teeth as an EU lawmaker three decades ago.

Merz has already made his EU priorities clear: supporting new trade deals -- and de-escalating the tariffs standoff with the United States -- striking a balance between climate action and support for industry, curbing migration, and bolstering Europe's defence capability.

"The challenges that we face are big challenges, and we can only meet those challenges together," he said.

Merz's meeting with von der Leyen -- a fellow German conservative who calls him a "friend" -- was being closely watched for clues to the working relationship going forward.

There was potential for early friction after Germany's new government moved unilaterally to reject most asylum seekers at its borders -- to the notable displeasure of Poland.

The step drew a reminder from von der Leyen that migration required "common European solutions" by the bloc's 27 members -- and that any border curbs "have to be time limited".

But she also said Berlin seemed to be playing by the rules -- coordinating with the commission and its neighbours -- reducing the likelihood of a clash with Brussels, while Merz insisted Germany was not going "solo" on migration.

The pair meanwhile made clear they would collaborate closely on trade -- where Germany's export-driven economy is especially vulnerable to US President Donald Trump's tariffs campaign -- as well as in the critical area of defence.

- Sea change on defence -

Merz said in particular he had conveyed to Trump that any trade negotiation must be conducted with all 27 EU member states, and that the US leader had invited him to Washington for further talks.

On defence, he signalled Germany's intent to play a key role in driving the continent's rearmament -- faced with US disengagement and war on its doorstep in Ukraine.

The chancellor's visit comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin gathered a cohort of friendly leaders for a World War II victory parade in Moscow -- underscoring the growing threat posed by Russia on Europe's eastern rim.

Merz was to expand on German's security and defence priorities in a separate press conference with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte.

The chancellor and his Social Democrat coalition partners have already ushered in a sea change in fiscally conservative Germany, changing the constitution to enable mass borrowing to upgrade the country's defence and infrastructure.

In that spirit, he has endorsed steps by Brussels to free up hundreds of billions in additional defence spending by member states, including by relaxing the bloc's fiscal rules.

And speaking alongside von der Leyen, he did not close the door on the possibility of "exceptional" European joint borrowing for defence -- as during the pandemic -- something the previous Berlin government considered taboo.

- 'High expectations' -

"Scholz would always call Washington first," summed up Guntram Wolff, of the Bruegel think tank. "I think there is hope that Friedrich Merz will be more turned towards the EU."

"We have very high expectations of the German government," confirmed Finland's foreign minister, Elina Valtonen.

G.AbuHamad--SF-PST