Contrary to all appearances, Friedrich Merz is not yet Germany's chancellor. The president of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party that came out on top in Germany's February 23 parliamentary elections with a narrow lead, will only accede to the chancellorship once a coalition agreement has been signed between his party and the Social Democrats (SPD).

However, he has, both in the eyes of the world and on the German political scene, already eclipsed Olaf Scholz, who will still be the chancellor until his successor is elected by the new Bundestag. That will probably be the case for another six weeks, if Merz keeps his promise to form a government "by Easter."

Yet in Berlin, as in Brussels and Paris, the change of era is clear. Moreover, Merz has been careful to send out all the right signals. On Thursday, March 6, he was the first to enter the room at a summit of European Union (EU) national leaders, which was due to conclude with major announcements on European defense. He had not, however, come to attend the European Council, but rather to talk with Antonio Costa, the Portuguese president of the Council. Having arrived in Brussels the day before, he had already met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, then Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission president, and Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. While he refrained from making any public statements, he nevertheless posted photos of each of these meetings on social media platforms throughout the day.

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