Latest news with #CDUCSU
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Merz's Conservative Bloc Slips Behind Far Right in New Survey
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU bloc again slipped behind the far-right Alternative for Germany party in a voter poll, while the German leader's personal approval rating sank to the lowest level since he took office three months ago. The Christian Democratic Union and its Bavaria-based Christian Social Union sister party declined one point to 24% in the latest Forsa survey for RTL/ntv. The AfD climbed one point to 26%, matching a record high it hit in April when it briefly overtook Merz's conservative alliance.
Reuters
13-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Senior German politician expects more talks in EU tariff dispute with Trump
ZURICH, July 13 (Reuters) - A senior German politician said on Sunday the European Union and Washington could negotiate further and postpone higher import duties after U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up the trade war by threatening a hike in tariffs on the bloc. "The negotiating poker game between the EU and the U.S. is entering its decisive phase," Juergen Hardt, deputy leader of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, told Reuters. "I'm betting that at least a partial agreement and a further postponement will be reached before August 1. After all, high tariffs have to be paid by American citizens and companies and lead to higher prices and inflation in the U.S.," he said. Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the EU from August 1, after weeks of negotiations with the major U.S. trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. He originally imposed a duty of 20% on EU goods in April, but this later was suspended for 90 days and replaced with a baseline tariff of 10%. Last week he pushed back the deadline for negotiations to August 1. This was separate from sector tariffs covering steel, aluminium and car imports from the EU to the U.S. Europe has to dissuade Trump from his "mistaken belief" that the U.S. trade deficit is caused by protectionist measures by the EU, Hardt said. The U.S. has a surplus in services due to the dominance of its IT sector, he said, which helped offset the trade deficit to large extent. "Americans are so much wealthier than other nations that they can afford to make the rest of the world work for them in an economic sense," Hardt said. "Fewer imports mean that the USA would have to work more and harder to maintain its prosperity. Whether this is the fervent wish of the American people remains questionable."
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Taurus missiles for Ukraine 'within the realm of possibility,' Germany's Merz says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 28 that a potential delivery of Taurus cruise missiles for Ukraine is not being ruled out. "Of course, that's within the realm of possibility," Merz said on air on ZDF TV channel when asked about the possibility of Taurus deliveries for Kyiv. The chancellor nevertheless emphasized that using the missiles would require a lengthy training period, potentially taking "several months of training for soldiers in Ukraine." The comments come after Merz hosted President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on May 28. During the visit, the German government announced 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in new military assistance and financial support for the Ukrainian long-range missiles program. Merz made no new announcements about a delivery of Taurus missiles. Zelensky's visit was accompanied by fresh speculations about a possible policy reversal, as Merz declared earlier this week that Germany and other Western partners have lifted all range restrictions on arms provided to Kyiv. The chancellor later clarified he was referring to a decision made "many months ago." Talking to ZDF, Merz said that a delivery within six months or a year would be of no use to Ukraine today, which is why Berlin is focusing on improving Ukraine's current military position. Before becoming chancellor, Merz, elected for the CDU/CSU conservative alliance, signaled he would overturn the ban of his predecessor, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, on delivering Taurus to Ukraine. The Taurus is a powerful cruise missile capable of striking targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles), more than the long-range capabilities Ukraine received from other partners. Ukraine has been using U.S.-made ATACMS for over a year, and U.K.-French Storm Shadow/SCALP for more than two, initially being allowed to deploy them only against Russian targets on Ukrainian territory. Only in late 2024, the Biden administration and other allies eased the restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russian military targets on Russian territory. In range, speed, and payload, Taurus much resembles the Storm Shadow, which is made by Taurus' manufacturer, MBDA's French affiliate. The primary distinction for Taurus is in the design of the actual warhead — Taurus can be programmed to explode after hitting a specific target, such as a bunker. Read also: Germany to help finance Ukrainian-made long-range systems We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Bloomberg
28-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Merz Vows Legislative Action to Quickly Boost German Economy
Germany 's new ruling coalition agreed to push ahead with measures aimed at stimulating the struggling economy and to enact as much legislation as possible before leaving for summer break in mid-July. 'It's now going to be blow after blow, this is all well coordinated,' Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters after a meeting of senior members of his CDU/CSU bloc and the co-governing Social Democrats.
