Germany's Merz meets NATO, EU chiefs in Brussels - DW - 05/09/2025
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in Brussels for talks with top EU and NATO leaders on his second foreign trip since taking office.
He'll meet NATO's Mark Rutte as well as EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Costa, and Roberta Metsola after stops in Paris and Warsaw on Wednesday.
Merz, who had slammed his predecessor Olaf Scholz for "silence in European policy," now promises Germany’s "voice in Europe and in the world" will be heard again.
Here's a roundup of developments from and about Germany on Friday, May 9:
May 9, 2025
Police in Germany have shut down a major online cryptocurrency exchange platform, seizing some €34 million ($38 million) in assets.
The Frankfurt Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) on Friday said it had seized and closed down the German server infrastructure of the crypto swapping service "eXch."
Police said the operators of the platform are suspected of commercial money laundering and of running a criminal online trading platform.
The assets seized were in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin and Dash, and the seizure is the third-largest haul of crypto assets in the BKA's history.
The platform had been operational since 2014, allowing users to exchange cryptocurrencies without any measures being implemented against money laundering. Police pulled the plug on the servers in April.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u9Q1
May 9, 2025
Europe is backing President Donald Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine, the EU is ready to ramp up sanctions if Moscow refuses to engage in serious peace talks, Germany’s new chancellor said Friday.
After a conversation with Trump on Thursday, Merz said he was "somewhat" confident that the US would now also increase pressure on Russia so that serious negotiations can begin after this weekend.
On his first trip to Brussels since taking office, Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized continued Western support for Ukraine — and readiness to boost that support if needed.
"We call on Russia at last to set out on the path for real peace negotiations," Merz said. "If that doesn’t happen, we won't hesitate, together with our European partners and the US, to increase the sanctions pressure."
Meanwhile, Merz reaffirmed Germany’s opposition to issuing joint EU debt to fund defense efforts.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u9N1
May 9, 2025
The German bank Commerzbank has posted its best quarterly profit since 2011, just ahead of a key shareholder meeting as it tries to block a potential takeover by Italy’s UniCredit.
Net profit for Q1 jumped 12% to €834 million ($936 million), defying analyst expectations of a slight dip.
Chief Executive Bettina Orlopp called it proof the bank can grow even in tough conditions.
Revenue rose nearly 12% to €3.1 billion, driven by stronger-than-expected interest and commission income. UniCredit, which has steadily built a stake in Commerzbank, is widely seen as eyeing a full takeover — an idea firmly resisted in Berlin.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u9DK
May 9, 2025
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is on the second stage of his introductory tour abroad, this time with a trip to Brussels for meetings with European Union and NATO chiefs.
Merz, who has long been critical of his predecessor Olaf Scholz, has said he aims to end Germany's "speechlessness" on European policy.
The new chancellor plans to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the three top EU representatives: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President Antonio Costa, and Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Merz completed his first inaugural visits to Paris and Warsaw on Wednesday.
At the signing of the coalition agreement between the conservative CDU-CSU and the SPD, the CDU leader announced that he and his government would ensure that Germany's "voice is heard again in Europe and in the world."
"Large parts of Europe, and the European Union in particular, are waiting for us to once again make a powerful contribution to the success of the European project," Merz said.
As opposition leader, conservative Merz accused his center-left predecessor of passivity in European policy.
In close cooperation with neighboring France and Poland, he wants to strengthen European sovereignty and thus respond to the US' foreign policy shift under President Donald Trump.
Scholz's "traffic light" coalition came under repeated criticism for the time it took to position itself on important projects such as the reform of the European asylum system.
This came to a peak when the members of the coalition themselves — SPD, Greens and FDP — failed to take a unified position on the EU Supply Chain Act, eventually abstaining on the EU-level vote.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u9E3
May 9, 2025
Newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is completing the second part of his inaugural visit on Friday — after Paris and Warsaw on Wednesday, this time he will travel to Brussels.
There he is meeting EU Council President Antonio Costa, then EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and finally NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Key topics are expected to include the pursuit of greater competitiveness for German and European industry, as well as strengthened defense policy and aid to Ukraine.
This blog will keep you updated with all that's happening in Germany and its newly-elected government.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u9DI
