German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addresses conservative youth wing in Bonn

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with the conservative CDU/CSU youth organization in Bonn on Saturday, DW reported. The meeting with the 90,000-strong Young Union comes as the chancellor struggles for political support within his own party. DW also reported that 3,000 people were expected to gather in Schleswig-Holstein for a separate AfD youth rally. [1]

DW reported that the chancellor's approval ratings have experienced a sharp decline recently. Additionally, the German development minister has asked for debt borrowing rules to be eased to allow further spending, according to DW. Economic reforms in the country remain stalled while industry comes under pressure, irishtimes.com reported. [1][5]

The appearance follows other international and domestic policy statements by the chancellor. Reuters reported that Merz said an European Union budget proposal must be cut further. TRT World reported that Merz defended Ukrainian military strikes on Russian oil facilities. [2][6]

Friedrich Merz has served as Chancellor of Germany since May 6, 2025, and as federal chairman of the Christian Democratic Union since January 2022. As FTMQ News reported earlier, his coalition government experienced cabinet instability earlier in October when German Labor Minister Bärbel Bas resigned from her role. [7][8][11]