Friedrich Merz is a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a centre-right political party. He has served as Germany’s chancellor since 6 May 2025 and as CDU federal chairman since January 2022.

In negotiations over the European Union’s 2028–2034 long-term budget, Merz said that no EU member state could afford contributions at the proposed level. He also expressed doubt that EU leaders would reach an agreement quickly. Germany is a major contributor to the EU budget.