<div class="css-129jqss e141dkbw0"><section class="css-u7urgs e12sbwn90"><div class="css-b4a1pi e1u9wqfn0"><span class="css-x8vgju e6e0kfy0"><a href="/europe" data-analytics="sidebar:section"><span>Europe</span></a></span><span class="css-rjcumh e1vi1cqp0"> | The man who could lead Europe </span></div><h1 class="css-1p83fk8 e1r8fcie0">Germany’s “business model is gone”, warns Friedrich Merz</h1><h2 class="css-1ms10sa eg03uz0">Its probable next leader talks about Ukraine, saving the economy and beating the AfD in an exclusive interview</h2></section></div><div class="css-vpmedt e141dkbw0"><section class="css-1ugvd2u e18wk22u0"></section></div><div class="css-129jqss e141dkbw0"><div class="css-13r0q4k ebbih0g0"><div class="css-f1to7x e1oehc1h0"><div class="css-jwv1ak eupm5sl0"><div class="css-w0h03k eygoqsu0"><div><time datetime="2025-02-10T18:55:26.587Z" class="css-1c8ktq7 e4cw3vv0"> Feb 10th 2025</time><span class="css-tmjz0q e1oehc1h1">|</span><span class="css-sy52uq e1q31umy0">STROMBERG</span></div><div><div class="css-1902i5q eygoqsu0"></div></div></div></div></div><section data-body-id="cp2" class="css-1xs6rxu e19oi8vf1"><div class="css-11m2wk0 e19oi8vf2"><p data-component="paragraph" class="css-1f0x4sl e1tt35bk0"><span data-caps="initial">I</span><small>T IS A</small> calm and confident Friedrich Merz who greets <i>The Economist</i> on February 7th at a luxury golf resort in Stromberg, a little town in Germany’s Rhineland where he will <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/02/05/germanys-election-campaign-is-creating-a-security-risk">campaign</a> later in the day. Two weeks ago <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/01/29/a-day-of-drama-in-the-bundestag">controversy exploded</a> around the leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (<small>CDU</small>), after he relied on the hard-right Alternative for Germany (<small>A</small>f<small>D</small>) to get a non-binding motion urging restrictions on migration through parliament. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in protest. But it does not appear to have fazed the man hoping to become Germany’s chancellor after the election on February 23rd. Getting migration and the economy right are essential, he tells us, if the <small>A</small>f<small>D</small> is to be kept out of power.</p></div></section><div class="css-1cmx12d em0l2j50"><div class="css-19gx9y0 eupm5sl0"><div class="css-15sn8g1 eygoqsu0"><div><div class="css-9mn5vp eygoqsu0"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

<div class="css-mqgbir ekf19570"><div class="css-1os14tz e1sxhytt1"><div class="css-114o6rp e3mhczn0"><div class="css-1f07iwu e141dkbw0"><div class="css-12lyffs e11kl3g90"><div class="css-koo8ga e1v3hvd50"><figure class="css-j0a8mg e1197rjj0"><img theme="[object Object]" alt="Protesters gather outside Tbilisi Concert Hall for a disobedience march to the Parliament of Georgia" loading="lazy" width="100%" height="auto" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent" sizes="(min-width: 1440px) 700px, (min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 960px) 66vw, 95vw" srcset="https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 256w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=360,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 360w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=384,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 384w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=480,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 480w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=600,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 600w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=834,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 834w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=960,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 960w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1096,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 1096w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1280,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 1280w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg 1424w" src="https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP002.jpg"></figure></div><div class="css-0 exn4l0u0"><h3 class="css-fjl2tu e9vcwtd0"><a href="/europe/2025/02/06/can-georgias-shadowy-despot-survive" data-analytics="more_from:headline_1">Can Georgia’s shadowy despot survive? </a></h3><p class="css-1p38euj esimp700">Cracks are appearing in Bidzina Ivanishvili’s power structure</p></div></div></div><div class="css-o65eh1 e141dkbw0"><div class="css-153odn9 e11kl3g90"><div class="css-1gl472l e1v3hvd50"><figure class="css-j0a8mg e1197rjj0"><img theme="[object Object]" alt="Turkish astronaut Alper Gezeravcı" loading="lazy" width="100%" height="auto" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent" sizes="(min-width: 1440px) 700px, (min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 960px) 66vw, 95vw" srcset="https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 256w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=360,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 360w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=384,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 384w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=480,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 480w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=600,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 600w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=834,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 834w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=960,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 960w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1096,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 1096w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1280,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 1280w, https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg 1424w" src="https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20250208_EUP001.jpg"></figure></div><div class="css-0 exn4l0u0"><h3 class="css-1mxvqtz e9vcwtd0"><a href="/europe/2025/02/06/turkey-is-building-a-spaceport-in-somalia" data-analytics="more_from:headline_2">Turkey is building a spaceport in Somalia</a></h3><p class="css-1p38euj esimp700">Believe it or not, the president is planning a moonshot</p></div></div><hr class="css-1r8cil5 e3mhczn1"><div class="css-153odn9 e11kl3g90"><div class="css-1gl472l e1v3hvd50"><figure class="css-j0a8mg e1197rjj0"><img theme="[object Object]" alt="A container ship with a European flag stuck in a puddle in the middle of the desert. 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Its probable next leader talks about Ukraine, saving the economy and beating the AfD in an exclusive interview{ai:summary}<p>Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's CDU, is campaigning for the chancellorship amid controversy over his party's reliance on the far-right AfD for migration restrictions. He emphasizes the importance of addressing migration and the economy to prevent the AfD from gaining power. </p><p>As the election approaches, Merz faces protests and the challenge of navigating complex issues, including trade relations and security risks tied to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. #politics</p>