At the East German Economic Forum in Bad Saarow, Friedrich Merz (CDU) lamented the high costs in Germany. ‘Germany has become too expensive,’ Merz said according to WELT and demanded radical reforms. At the end of his speech, the Chancellor tried his hand as a motivator.
Merz called for ‘leaving the very German reflexes behind us.’ The exact reform proposals remained vague in his speech. The forum is considered an important platform for exchange between politics and business in eastern Germany.
EuroPulse reported on May 29, 2026, about Merz’s comments on the chancellor-swap debate, which he called a ‘side debate’ (https://europulse.today/merz-kanzlertausch-debatte-nebendebatte/).
Source: www.welt.de
