Germany finally has a new government and a new chancellor. Six months after the break-up of the last coalition and two months after the election, Friedrich Merz was sworn in last week as the 10th chancellor of the German Federal Republic. The vote in parliament to confirm him was considerably more turbulent than anyone expected: Merz initially failed to secure a majority, requiring a second ballot—unprecedented in the history of the federal republic.
With this tumultuous start behind it, the coalition government comprising Merz’s conservative Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats can’t afford to lose time to further stumbles. Germany faces enormous challenges in almost all areas. The economy, for years Europe’s economic motor, is struggling, with Germany’s flagship automotive industry falling behind the electric vehicle competition from China and elsewhere. And the pension and health care systems are in financial straits, with the country’s demographic pyramid looking more like a column.
The most immediate challenge facing the new government and the country, however, is in guaranteeing Germany’s and Europe’s security. Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, with demands on Europeans rising sharply as U.S. support for Kyiv becomes increasingly uncertain under President Donald Trump. In parallel, Germany must prepare for the possibility of a Russian attack on NATO territory in the coming years. But the biggest shock to the system comes from the U.S. turning its back not just on Ukraine, but on NATO and Europe more generally. Whether or not this is unique to the Trump administration, Germany’s model of security based exclusively on allied cooperation is under threat and might no longer be viable.