Germany's next leader, the conservative Friedrich Merz, on Wednesday presented a deal to launch his coalition government by early next month that was focused on repowering the country’s economy and coming down hard on migrants.
He vowed to "largely end irregular migration", promising tight border controls and a "repatriation offensive" targeting those in the country illegally. The run-up to February's election was marked by a bitter debate on migration and a surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which scored a record 20 per cent of the vote.
Mr Merz, the opposition leader at the time, made reducing migration central to his election campaign. On Wednesday, he said the new government will suspend family reunions for many migrants, designate more “safe countries of origin”, launch a “return offensive” for rejected asylum-seekers and turn some people back at Germany's borders, in consultation with neighbours.
It will also tighten a law passed by the outgoing government that eased the rules for gaining citizenship, scrapping the possibility for well-integrated applicants to get a German passport after three rather than five years of residence. Mr Merz pledged to "move the country forward again" by boosting the economy and defence as he presented a deal to launch his coalition government by early next month.
The agreement paves the way for new leadership in the 27-nation European Union's most populous member, which has Europe's biggest economy. It follows months of political drift and weeks of negotiations as the continent faces uncertainty over the Trump administration's sweeping tariffs and its commitment to European allies' defence.
The 69-year-old's two-party Union bloc emerged as the strongest force in Germany’s election on February 23. Mr Merz turned to the Social Democrats, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left party, to put together a coalition with a parliamentary majority.
Mr Merz is set to take over from the outgoing Mr Scholz as leader of Europe's top economy just as US President Donald Trump has sparked global trade turmoil and raised deep fears about future transatlantic security ties. Asked at a news conference if he had a message for Trump, Mr Merz said in English that the country would meet its defence obligations and rebuild its economic competitiveness.
"Germany is back on track," he added. "The coalition agreement is a signal of a new beginning … for our country," said Mr Merz, whose party won the election with 28.5 per cent of the vote.
The parties also said Germany would continue to support Ukraine as the United States looks to encourage a deal to end the war started by Russia's full-scale invasion over three years ago. "We will provide comprehensive support to Ukraine so that it can effectively defend itself against the Russian aggressor and assert itself in negotiations," the agreement said.
Presenting the deal, Mr Merz pledged that Germany would "reform and invest to keep Germany stable, make it safer and make it economically stronger again", adding that "Europe can rely on Germany".
Germany held general elections on February 23 after the collapse of Mr Scholz's three-way coalition on November 6, the very day Trump was re-elected to the White House.
