>”Friedrich Merz wants to focus on foreign policy as Chancellor – and position Germany as a ‘leading middle power.’ What are his plans?”
>**Merz wants to be a foreign policy chancellor.** This had been clear from his inner circle for some time, reflected in how he appointed key positions — and it becomes unmistakably clear this Wednesday.
>He has structured his cabinet accordingly: Whereas the foreign ministry had, for nearly 60 years, traditionally gone to the junior coalition partner, Merz has ensured that it returns to the chancellor’s party. He has appointed Johann Wadephul, an experienced foreign policy expert, to the post. Wadephul is close to Merz, has accompanied him on important foreign trips and at the Munich Security Conference — and will now be at his side in Paris and Warsaw. One thing is clear: Wadephul will not treat foreign policy as a sideshow. Open conflicts like those between Olaf Scholz and Annalena Baerbock, which shaped the foreign policy of the previous government, are unlikely.
>**Key people in key positions**
>Merz is establishing a National Security Council within the chancellery — a body long discussed but now being implemented for the first time — intended to guide the strategic planning of foreign and security policy. Its exact structure remains undefined. The man responsible is Jacob Schrot, just 34 years old and a close confidant of Merz, who will also serve as his chief of staff. In addition, the politically inexperienced Merz is surrounding himself with seasoned professionals: Germany’s EU representative Michael Clauß will advise him on European policy, and veteran diplomat Günter Sautter — most recently a top adviser in Baerbock’s foreign office — will lead the foreign and security policy division in the chancellery.
>The framework is set. But where does Merz, who has promised a political shift, intend to take German foreign policy?
>Merz was clearest in January, when he gave a keynote speech at the Körber Foundation before Berlin’s foreign policy community. In it, he announced that he wanted to turn Germany from a “sleeping middle power into a leading one.” But what exactly does that mean in a time of crises in the international order? During the coalition negotiations, Merz largely remained silent on pressing international issues. When Donald Trump launched a global trade conflict or appeared to seek an understanding with Russia at Ukraine’s and Europe’s expense, the then-frontrunner for the chancellorship Merz said little to nothing. That is now changing.
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>”Friedrich Merz wants to focus on foreign policy as Chancellor – and position Germany as a ‘leading middle power.’ What are his plans?”
>**Merz wants to be a foreign policy chancellor.** This had been clear from his inner circle for some time, reflected in how he appointed key positions — and it becomes unmistakably clear this Wednesday.
>He has structured his cabinet accordingly: Whereas the foreign ministry had, for nearly 60 years, traditionally gone to the junior coalition partner, Merz has ensured that it returns to the chancellor’s party. He has appointed Johann Wadephul, an experienced foreign policy expert, to the post. Wadephul is close to Merz, has accompanied him on important foreign trips and at the Munich Security Conference — and will now be at his side in Paris and Warsaw. One thing is clear: Wadephul will not treat foreign policy as a sideshow. Open conflicts like those between Olaf Scholz and Annalena Baerbock, which shaped the foreign policy of the previous government, are unlikely.
>**Key people in key positions**
>Merz is establishing a National Security Council within the chancellery — a body long discussed but now being implemented for the first time — intended to guide the strategic planning of foreign and security policy. Its exact structure remains undefined. The man responsible is Jacob Schrot, just 34 years old and a close confidant of Merz, who will also serve as his chief of staff. In addition, the politically inexperienced Merz is surrounding himself with seasoned professionals: Germany’s EU representative Michael Clauß will advise him on European policy, and veteran diplomat Günter Sautter — most recently a top adviser in Baerbock’s foreign office — will lead the foreign and security policy division in the chancellery.
>The framework is set. But where does Merz, who has promised a political shift, intend to take German foreign policy?
>Merz was clearest in January, when he gave a keynote speech at the Körber Foundation before Berlin’s foreign policy community. In it, he announced that he wanted to turn Germany from a “sleeping middle power into a leading one.” But what exactly does that mean in a time of crises in the international order? During the coalition negotiations, Merz largely remained silent on pressing international issues. When Donald Trump launched a global trade conflict or appeared to seek an understanding with Russia at Ukraine’s and Europe’s expense, the then-frontrunner for the chancellorship Merz said little to nothing. That is now changing.
!ping Germany&Foreign-policy