BERLIN - New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sets off on his first trip abroad on Wednesday to France and Poland in a bid to renew relations with the country's top allies and show that Germany is back on the world stage despite a bumpy start to his government.
While already planned, the trip comes only a day after Merz was elected chancellor by parliament on the second round of voting. His unprecedented failure to succeed on the first round underscored disunity in the coalition of his conservatives and Social Democrats.
Still, hopes are high among Germany's allies that Merz will restore German leadership in Europe after years of infighting within former Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition and its implosion in November.
Merz was taking office as Europe scrambles to agree security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any ceasefire deal with Russia and to negotiate a trade accord with the United States after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs.
"After years of internal bickering and political navel-gazing under the previous government, what's needed now is German leadership that doesn't just observe European policy, but helps shape it," said Jana Puglierin, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank.
"Merz's chances of achieving this are good. He plans to centralise foreign and European policy in the chancellery – making it the nerve centre of decision-making."
For the first time in years, the chancellery and the foreign ministry will be run by the same party. Merz also wants to establish a national security council in the chancellery to better coordinate all foreign, development and defence policy.
The 69-year-old conservative, who was a deputy in the European Parliament from 1989-94 and later took a hiatus from politics to work as a business consultant, has said he wants to fix relations with top European allies.
Fractious relations with the United States have made that all the more imperative. The very night of his election, Merz emphasised the need for Europe to pursue greater independence in defence from the United States.
He has also expressed uncertainty about the future of the NATO alliance. As such, he appears more receptive to French proposals on European strategic autonomy and common defence, analysts said.
Even before taking office, he secured a historic fiscal package in parliament that would enable his government to dramatically increase defence spending.
MERZ TO MEET WITH MACRON
Merz's first port of call on Wednesday will be Paris, to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, with whom he already has a good rapport, according to French officials.
"Merz has a deep knowledge of the world of finance and the economy, which is something that brings him closer to Macron," a French official said.
Macron wrote on X on Tuesday it was up to the two of them to "make sure that the Franco-German engine and combined decision making is stronger than ever."
Merz will visit Poland later on Wednesday, reflecting the country's increasing importance in European politics due to its key role in rallying support for Ukraine against Russia's three-year-old invasion.
"I would hope for some common leadership in Europe," a Polish government source told Reuters. "Germany has been somehow missing in these discussions over the past".
The source said a key question was how Merz's government planned to increase defence spending, noting it would make sense for European countries to purchase equipment together.
Merz told state broadcaster ZDF late on Tuesday he would also speak with Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk about adopting a tougher European migration policy.
The incoming coalition has agreed to reject asylum seekers at Germany's land borders, in coordination however with European neighbours.
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