Merz says Germany and EU must 'bring its power to bear'

Deutsche Welle (DW)CenterEN 4 min read 100% complete by Jon Shelton with AFP, dpaOctober 25, 2025 at 04:26 PM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addressed the Bundestag on Thursday, emphasizing the need for enhanced economic and defense cooperation within Europe to counteract economic decline and external security threats. He praised US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for facilitating a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, including four Germans. Merz called for Germany and NATO to strengthen their defense capabilities, advocating for Europe to use its power more decisively and unified. Speaking ahead of an EU summit on October 23, he supported increased defense spending and a more assertive role for Germany within the European Union, stressing that peace requires economic, political, and military strength.

Key Topics & Entities

NATO 30% Gaza 30% Hamas ×240% EU ×240% Recep Tayyip Erdogan 50% Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani 50% Abdel Fattah el-Sissi 60% Benjamin Netanyahu ×270% Donald Trump ×280% Friedrich Merz ×5100%

Keywords

defense capabilities 80% middle east peace 70% hamas hostage release 70% european economic cooperation 70% bundestag address 60% peace in the world 60% european union capabilities 60% nato defense spending 50% eu leaders' summit 50% german chancellor friedrich merz 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Deutsche Welle (DW)

Political Lean

Center (-0.10)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Gaza

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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defense capabilities middle east peace hamas hostage release european economic cooperation bundestag address peace in the world european union capabilities nato defense spending eu leaders' summit german chancellor friedrich merz

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