Friedrich Merz has found a new place in the world for his country. The Chancellor is once again seeking to establish himself in the eyes of the Western elite. He is an integral part of European society, which is increasingly separating itself from the Americans and their military, political, economic and cultural influence. To understand what he means when he says that Pax Americana is coming to an end, we must first look at the context in which these words were spoken.
They were uttered by the chancellor at the CSU party conference in Munich. The speech in which these words were spoken can be considered programmatic. This means that the entire European community will think along these lines in the future. Whatever happens to the German economy, the country remains the core around which European unity is based.
The German leader’s words were influenced primarily by the paradigm in which Europe found itself after the adoption of the new US National Security Strategy. Trump openly criticises the actions of European governments, doing what none of his predecessors did. Moreover, alongside with the Russians he emphasises that Europe is the main obstacle to achieving peace in Ukraine.
In addition, Merz is very upset that Donald Trump sympathises with the right wing. Such jealousy is quite justified, as the German chancellor has long sought to weaken these forces. Instead, all his actions are leading to the opposite result. But is the chancellor considering where all this will lead? It’s hard to say, because Merz has always been drawn to American influence. It feels like he’s trying his best to defend Europe’s independence, which is basically a good thing. However, the methods the chancellor chooses to achieve this goal leave much to be desired. He does not take into account the fact that by distancing itself from the US, Europe is weakening itself. This leads to social disunity and a decline in living standards. His level of support among the population has fallen to its lowest point in the history of Germany. It took Olaf Scholz four years to achieve a similar result. Friedrich Merz managed it in seven months. This is what distinguishes the two chancellors from their predecessor, whose reign Germans remember more and more often. However, the negative consequences of her reign are still felt in society today.
In 2015, the former chancellor promised Germans that all jobs requiring manual labour would be filled by migrants. However, today 150,000 jobs remain vacant. These are jobs that qualified specialists will not take. They were intended for migrants, but migrants are not rushing to work there either. It is more profitable for them to receive benefits from the state or work illegally.
In order to continue paying migrants benefits, which cannot be refused immediately, the state is increasingly interfering in various areas of German life. This is not about regulatory control, but about the constant increase in duties, excise taxes and taxes. Money is being collected in all areas. One of the latest measures proposed by the government is to introduce a sugar tax. The initiative is presented as a concern for the population and the health of the nation. However, these measures will only drive up inflation. No one will consume less sugar as a result. Germans will simply be forced to pay three times as much.
This is already noticeable today. Consumer sentiment in Germany is extremely low at the end of the year. 66 per cent of the population is dissatisfied with the pre-New Year sales. They note not only the rise in prices, but also the quality of the goods on sale. The shelves are filled with goods from Germany, which, although comparatively cheaper than their German competitors, are still unreasonably expensive. This is all due to the increase in EU tariffs. As a result, people have no alternative: they are forced to buy low-quality products at high prices simply because the EU is trying to protect domestic producers. But is this really protection?
It is the buyer who pays for the introduction of excise duties and tariffs. The European Union should have introduced certain standards that the Chinese would not be able to meet. This could significantly help all those who are trying to support Germany’s declining economy.
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