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<\/p>\nA weekly newsletter on German politics, with news and analysis on the new government.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By JAMES ANGELOS<\/p>\n
with NETTE N\u00d6STLINGER<\/p>\n
Send tips\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0| | Subscribe for free<\/a> | View in your browser<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n GERMANY AND ITS DISCONTENTS<\/p>\n THE WORLD\u2019S WOES:\u00a0German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has dedicated a lot of time in his first months in office trying to address the big, intractable problems of the world, primarily Russia\u2019s aggression in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s tariff wars.<\/p>\n Fresh start?\u00a0Europe\u2019s leaders have mostly welcomed Merz\u2019s efforts to make Germany more relevant on the international stage again, and the German press has dubbed Merz the\u00a0Au\u00dfenkanzler, or \u201cforeign chancellor<\/a>,\u201d in particular for\u00a0his efforts to keep Trump on Europe\u2019s side in confronting Vladimir Putin<\/a>.<\/p>\n German melancholy:\u00a0But none of that seems to be helping Merz politically. In fact, the national mood is turning notably\u00a0sauer.<\/p>\n Pocketbook issues:\u00a0Much of the malaise has to do with the country\u2019s stagnating economy,\u00a0which contracted more sharply in the spring than initially thought<\/a>. Unemployment has also ticked up to 6.4 percent, with\u00a0more than three million people out of work<\/a>\u00a0for the first time in a decade.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the use?\u00a0But the even bigger problem for Merz is that many voters seem to have a sense that his foreign policy efforts are all for naught.<\/p>\n Unpopularity contest:\u00a0Merz was never particularly well liked for a newly elected chancellor, but after 100 days in office, his plummeting approval ratings were\u00a0far lower than his three predecessors<\/a> \u2014 including Olaf Scholz, who led one of postwar Germany\u2019s least popular governments. Only 32 percent of Germans approved of Merz\u2019s performance about three-months in, according to the\u00a0benchmark ARD-Deutschlandtrend survey<\/a>. And only 29 percent believed that Merz could lead the country well through a crisis.<\/p>\n False promises:\u00a0What makes things worse for Merz amid all this disapproval is that he came to office promising a quick turnaround. \u201cIt is important that we improve the mood in the country by summer,\u201d he said back in April, before taking office. \u201cThe population must realize that having a new government makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet, the dour mood prevails,\u00a0and there are also signs that Merz\u2019s coalition with the center-left and also-relatively-unpopular Social Democratic Party (SPD) may fray, particularly after earlier this summer the government failed to\u00a0muster the votes to elect a top court judge<\/a>. This week, leaders of both parties felt compelled to meet in W\u00fcrzburg to iron out differences on everything from conscription to tax policy,\u00a0and to take selfies<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bringing back some\u00a0Schwung:\u00a0Merz and his coalition partners are promising to turn their focus to domestic reforms this fall to spark some economic growth, improve the government\u2019s finances and boost their poll numbers. But there remain core disagreements between Merz\u2019s conservatives and the SPD, particularly when it comes to cuts to social benefits, that may foil the attempt.<\/p>\n Cautionary tale:\u00a0As Merz met in France on Thursday and Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron to attempt to hash out Franco-German agreements on issues ranging from nuclear energy to trade, we were reminded of how domestic disapproval can get in the way of any political leader\u2019s best-laid plans.\u00a0The likely collapse of French Prime Minister Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou\u2019s government<\/a>\u00a0in September overshadowed the talks.<\/p>\n Germany is not France,\u00a0and its government is far more stable. But the dynamics look awfully similar in some ways. In Germany too, the weakness of mainstream parties is a boon for the far right, which\u00a0in some polls<\/a>\u00a0is already leading Merz\u2019s conservatives.<\/p>\n Time will tell:\u00a0Merz of course has plenty of time to reverse course, but the early signs suggest his domestic political weakness may undermine his efforts to establish a leading role for Germany abroad.<\/p>\n RIGHT-WING EXTREMIST IN WOMEN\u2019S PRISON SPARKS GENDER DEBATE<\/p>\n BIZARRE CASE: Marla-Svenja Liebich, formerly known as Sven Liebich, a known right-wing extremist and former member of the Neonazi group<\/a> Blood & Honor, was sentenced in 2023 to 18 months in prison for incitement to hatred, among other crimes. At the time Liebich was a man. Last year, Liebich applied for a change of name and gender under Germany\u2019s Self-Determination Act<\/a>, implemented by Germany\u2019s previous left-leaning coalition government.<\/p>\n Derision: Many German politicians accuse Liebich of attempting to deride the gender law, which allows people age 14 and older to change their first name and gender without medical reports or court approval. And that certainly appears to be plausible. In a profile image on X<\/a>, Liebich is depicted in an image of the Statue of Liberty, with a walrus mustache and red lipstick. \u201cYes, sex is really cool, but have you ever fucked an entire system?\u201d Liebich writes in one post.<\/p>\n Kosher food? Liebich also recently claimed to be a devout Jew and, according to a FAZ report<\/a>, demanded kosher food and a rabbi in prison. Liebich is set to enter a women\u2019s prison in the eastern German city of Chemnitz this Friday evening, has asked followers to appear outside, and was planning to hold a press conference. \u00a0<\/p>\n Real debate: The Liebich affair has sparked a very real political debate about gender laws and divided opinion within the coalition. Merz\u2019s conservatives argue the case points to the need to reform the Self-Determination Act, while left-wing politicians, including those in the SPD, generally argue that a single case of abuse should not lead to the dismantling of the rights of a larger group of people. The Liebich case is a \u201ctransparent attempt to politically instrumentalize an important law,\u201d Carmen Wegge, legal policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group, told WELT.<\/p>\n IN OTHER NEWS<\/p>\n BERLIN AND OTTOWA DEEPEN COOPERATION: Merz and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday in Berlin that they would deepen cooperation in a range of areas<\/a>, including defense, critical minerals and energy. Trump\u2019s tariffs have hit both countries hard, while Germany is looking to shift its industry away from dependency on China. An agreement on critical minerals to counter Beijing\u2019s monopolistic control of materials needed to power everything from military equipment to electric vehicles was signed to that purpose. Carney then went on to visit Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, one of two companies in the running to renew Canada\u2019s submarine fleet. In energy, there is still work to be done, Canada\u2019s Energy Minister Tim Hodgson told POLITICO<\/a>. It would take about five to seven years for Canadian LNG to be ready to flow to Europe from an Arctic port, he estimated.<\/p>\n WEIMAR TRIANGLE CUDDLES UP TO MOLDOVA: Merz, Macron, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk converged Wednesday on tiny Moldova<\/a> to urge voters to keep turning away from Russia and support their country\u2019s pro-EU government. The Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, and her governing Party of Action and Solidarity face a Sept. 28 parliamentary election amid warnings that the Kremlin is working to influence the result and derail the country\u2019s efforts to join the EU. In a press conference at Moldova\u2019s National Assembly, the leaders of Germany, France, and Poland \u2014 an informal alliance known as the Weimar Triangle \u2014\u00a0issued an open invitation to Moldova to join the EU<\/a>. \u201cThe door to the European Union is open, and you are wholeheartedly welcome,\u201d Merz said.<\/p>\n MERZ PUBLICLY GIVES UP ON PUTIN-ZELENSKYY TALKS: \u00a0While European leaders have privately expressed skepticism<\/a> that Trump\u2019s peace push with Russian President Vladimir Putin will yield results, Merz on Thursday backed up that sentiment<\/a> in one of the strongest public comments yet. \u201cUnlike what had been agreed between President Trump and President Putin last week, when we were together in Washington, it is obviously not going to come to a meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Putin,\u201d Merz told reporters. His comments came after Russia launched a deadly attack on Kyiv early Thursday that killed at least 12 and damaged buildings housing the EU and British delegations \u2014 for which Russia would face consequences<\/a>, according to Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.<\/p>\n THE WEEK AHEAD<\/p>\n WADEPHUL IN INDIA: Wadephul is traveling to India on Monday where he\u2019ll focus on the diversification of Germany\u2019s trade relations and the recruitment of skilled workers. He\u2019ll be in Bangalore for talks with companies on Tuesday and in New Delhi for political talks, including with his Indian counterpart, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n SWISS PRESIDENT VISITS: The president of Switzerland, Karin Keller-Sutter, is meeting Merz in the chancellery on Tuesday for a talk on bilateral and European relations as well as foreign and security policy \u2014 to be followed by a press conference. \u00a0<\/p>\n MERZ IN EVIAN: Merz and Macron will meet again next week Thursday in Evian. There, they will take part in a Franco-German business meeting focused upon European competitiveness and trade relations, a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Thanks to Douglas Busvine.<\/p>\n HATE MAIL:\u00a0Send complaints (if you must), tips, checks and random thoughts to [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE to the POLITICO newsletter family: Brussels Playbook<\/a> | London Playbook<\/a> | London Playbook PM<\/a> | Playbook Paris<\/a> | EU Election Playbook<\/a> | Berlin Playbook<\/a> | Global Playbook<\/a> | POLITICO Confidential<\/a> | Sunday Crunch<\/a> | EU Influence<\/a> | London Influence<\/a> | Berlin Bulletin<\/a> | Living Cities<\/a> | D.C. Playbook<\/a> | D.C. Influence<\/a> | Canada Playbook<\/a> | All our POLITICO Pro policy morning newsletters<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A weekly newsletter on German politics, with news and analysis on the new government. 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