Losing faith in Washington as a military ally, Berlin wants to rip up the old fiscal orthodoxy. But it’s now a race against the clock.

Who is Germany’s election winner and how will he fare against AfD leader Alice Weidel? - Friedrich Merz has taken aim at the US and says Europe must stand up for itself

Negotiators from German election winner Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc and the center-left Social Democrats have started exploratory talks on a possible coalition government.

The CDU/CSU and SPD are proposing to create a special fund of €500bn for infrastructure and defence by reforming the country's "debt brake" provision. #EuropeNews

German election winner says he will hold talks with other parties to adopt constitutional change in next 30 days

Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's CDU/CSU parliamentary bloc, is set to lead the next government after his party came first in recent elections.

Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats took the highest portion of a record number of votes. An ascendant far right, crumbling international order and sluggish German economy face the incoming chancellor.

A provision would exempt defence spending above 1% of GDP from debt brake rules, enabling Germany to increase military spending without limit. View on euronews

The victory of the Christian Democratic leader in the February 23 German parliamentary elections was met with relief by France, Poland and other members that support a bolder role for the European Union in tackling security and economic challenges.

With his party topping Germany's snap election poll, Friedrich Merz looks set to fulfil his ... and five years later he won a seat in the Bundestag where he quickly established himself as a ...

To immediately free up budgetary leeway to finance his country's rearmament, the incoming chancellor plans to vote in a special €200 billion fund for the army. He hopes to reform the strict budgetary rules – the "debt brake" – enshrined in the Basic Law, with the support of the outgoing Bundestag.

Friedrich Merz's political journey, stance on immigration, leadership style, and economic promises as the potential Chancellor of Germany.