German chancellor Merz says his government has a ‘stable foundation' despite a dispute
The government has launched a program to encourage investment, set in motion plans to raise defense spending and implemented a tougher approach to migration. Merz has taken a prominent role in diplomacy on Ukraine and other issues. Merz said at the German leaders' annual summer news conference that he is 'very satisfied with what we have achieved in the first 10 weeks.'
Merz set out to avoid the infighting that plagued ex-Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition which collapsed in November. However, the new government's record has been overshadowed over the past week by parliament's failure to elect three new justices for Germany's highest court. Nominations have in the past mostly been approved uneventfully. But planned votes last Friday were scrapped at the last minute after some lawmakers in Merz's bloc balked at a candidate put forward by the Social Democrats. Opponents of the nominee, law professor Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, have cited her perceived liberal views on issues such as abortion. Leading Social Democrats have been irked by the conservatives' failure to follow through on an agreement on the new justices and have stood by their candidate.
Merz has downplayed the argument and insisted Friday that there is no time pressure to rush to a solution. And he rejected a suggestion that his coalition is on wobbly ground with the court nominee flap following its bumpy start when lawmakers needed an unprecedented two rounds of voting to elect Merz as chancellor in May. 'This government stands on a stable foundation, on a stable majority in the German parliament,' Merz said. 'But you see from these two votes that we are living in very uncertain times, also regarding supposed certainties in the German parliament.' He said that 'we know what job we have and high points and successes are part of that, as well as occasional setbacks.' Recent polls have suggested that Merz's coalition has work to do to convince voters. Ratings for the Union and Social Democrats haven't picked up from their lackluster showing in Germany's February election. Surveys show the far-right anti-immigration Alternative for Germany solidifying its strong second place.
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It has five task forces operating in the Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea. Separately, both the GCC and EU have their own platforms. The GCC Maritime Operations Coordination Center, also based in Bahrain, coordinates the work of GCC security forces, while the EU has three outfits — Operation Agenor in the Gulf, Operation Atalanta off the Somali Coast, and Operation Aspides in the Red Sea. Although there has been limited practical cooperation in some of these areas, such as maritime security, more needs to be done, and a specifically GCC-EU framework needs to be established soon for coordination of all these efforts. The next summit is expected to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2026, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last October that he expects to see real progress by the time the next forum convenes in Riyadh. To make that happen, the two sides need to speed up implementation in all areas of the GCC-EU strategic partnership, including security cooperation. To do that, the two sides must double their efforts, especially on the EU side. It is also urgently needed to scale up the currently meagre funds and manpower allocated for this ambitious partnership.
