From Germany’s Merz urges ‘bold decisions’ to reverse EU ‘decline’
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a press conference at the end of an intergovernmental summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, January 23, 2026. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls for “bold” EU steps, including sweeping deregulation, to reverse a quarter century of “decline” faced with economic rivals China and the United States.
“Only an economically powerful Europe will be a sovereign Europe,” Merz tells industry chiefs gathered in the Belgian port city of Antwerp on the eve of EU talks on the economy.
“It is high time for Europe to act — to act swiftly and to act decisively,” he says, calling for the EU to “deregulate every sector.”
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