Friedrich Merz at Davos: Europe's Strategy for Security and Economic Strength

The New Global Reality

• ⚠️ The post-Cold War international order is collapsing, replaced by a dangerous era of great power politics driven by strength and force.
• 🌍 This shift is evidenced by Russia's war against Ukraine, China's rise, and a radical reshaping of U.S. foreign and security policy.
• 💡 Europe has a choice to shape its future and is not at the mercy of this new world order.

Pillars of European Strength

• 🔑 Europe's power rests on three essential pillars: security, competitiveness, and unity.
• 💪 It's crucial to recognize the value of power alongside the power of values, learning from Germany's 20th-century history.
• ✅ The greatest strength lies in building partnerships and alliances among equals, based on mutual trust and respect.

Enhancing European Security

• 🛡️ Europe must invest massively in self-defense and strengthen NATO, particularly in securing the High North from Russian threats.
• 🤝 Germany pledges solidarity with Denmark and Greenland and will protect them, while increasing its defense spending up to 5% of GDP.
• 🚫 Any attempt to acquire European territory by force or impose new tariffs would be met with a united and firm European response.

Boosting Economic Competitiveness

• 📈 Europe must rapidly make its economies competitive and become the antithesis to state-sponsored unfair trade practices.
• ❌ The continent has become the "world champion of overregulation" and must substantially reduce bureaucracy and foster entrepreneurial freedoms.
• 🚀 Germany proposes an emergency brake for bureaucracy, a modernized EU budget, and a Capital Markets Union to allow European companies to grow and be financed within Europe.
• 💡 Investments are planned in AI gigafactories, data centers, and digital infrastructure to leverage Germany's industrial data for a competitive AI economy.

Germany's Vision and Role

• 🇩🇪 Germany aims to regain economic strength and make Europe a key player in global politics, economically and in defense.
• 🌱 The country is focusing on renewable energies, modern gas power plants, and massive infrastructure investments (500 billion euro).
• 🎯 Germany seeks to be a leading investment location for global capital, mobilizing private sector investments with clear rules and long-term reliability.