German Chancellor Merz Seeks EU Budget Cuts, While AfD and CDU Duel in Saxony-Anhalt Debate
Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted EU leaders to push for a smaller budget, and AfD’s Ulrich Siegmund faced CDU’s Sven Schulze in a televised debate ahead of the Saxony-Anhalt election.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz convened a lunch in Berlin with leaders from the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Denmark, all net contributors to the EU, to build a coalition for cutting the bloc’s next seven-year budget by several hundred billion euros. Merz described the Commission’s near-€2 trillion proposal as unaffordable and unbalanced, urging a leaner, modernised framework. Meanwhile, the Saxony-Anhalt state election campaign intensified as CDU’s state premier Sven Schulze and AfD’s Ulrich Siegmund sparred on regional broadcaster MDR.
Schulze criticised Siegmund’s lack of a job-creation plan, while Siegmund touted a “clear plan” that includes reorganising migration to free funds for hospitals. The AfD framed the vote as the start of a broader political shift in Germany. Both events underscore fiscal debates at the EU level and rising partisan competition in regional politics.
Why it matters
It shows how Germany is shaping EU spending while domestic parties vie for power in a key state election.
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