Germany's Merz says rules-based world not dead despite 'rough winds'

BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday said the goal of a rules-based global order was not dead, calling for a stronger NATO within Europe while still extending the hand of cooperation to the United States.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasizes importance of rules-based global order and calls for stronger NATO in Europe.
Merz asserts that Europe will not be intimidated by tariff threats, following US President Trump's Greenland tariff issue.
European leaders, including Merz, are showing increased confidence in projecting European strength and values amidst global power shifts and trade dynamics.

Speaking to the German parliament, Merz also said that Europe will no longer be cowed by tariff threats, after U.S. President Donald Trump backed away from using such tariffs as a weapon to seize Greenland.

Merz's speech underscored how European leaders have been emboldened to try to project European strength and values, after the standoff with Trump over Greenland and nearly four years of war between Russia and Ukraine.

"For some weeks now, we have been seeing with increasing clarity the emergence of a world of great powers. Rough winds are blowing in this world, and we will feel their effects for the foreseeable future," Merz told lawmakers.

He added that in recent weeks, "we have been able to experience something of the joy of self-respect", adding that rules-based action and rules-based trade are not dead.

"More and more countries around the world are recognizing that the current global reorganization also presents an opportunity for all actors who prefer rules to arbitrariness and who see more advantages in free and fair trade than in the one-sided pursuit of sole self-interest," he added.