German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addresses Bundestag on EU summit

Chancellor Friedrich Merz will deliver a government declaration to the Bundestag on Thursday at 09:00, ahead of the EU summit in Brussels next week. The speech is expected to cover the war in Ukraine, relations with China, and the EU’s mid‑term financial planning, including a call for modernising the EU budget and a rejection of new debt.

The statement follows a coalition meeting with employers and trade unions and comes amid a marathon parliamentary session that runs into the early morning, featuring proposals such as an AfD‑led request to dismiss Labor Minister Bärbel Bas and a range of legislative items on topics from e‑scooter liability to packaging law reforms.