Who will run Germany in Merz’s government and what Ukraine can expect
On 6 May, the Bundestag is set to confirm Friedrich Merz as Chancellor. If the vote goes as expected, Germany will have a new government two and a half months after the elections, and its allies will once again see a politically stable Berlin.
Details have recently emerged about what the new Chancellor’s cabinet will look like.
In Ukraine, as usual, attention is primarily focused on the ministers responsible for foreign policy and defence. And in this regard, there is room for optimism.
Read more in the article by Khrystyna Bondarieva, a European Pravda journalist – Merz and his team: who will enter the new German government and what it means for Ukraine.
Under Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party will control the ministries of foreign affairs, economy and energy, transport, health, digitalisation and state modernisation, education and family affairs, as well as a Minister for Special Affairs, who will also head Merz’s Chancellery.
The CDU will lead the foreign ministry for the first time in nearly six decades. The last time Christian Democrats headed this ministry was back in the 1960s.
With both the chancellor and the foreign minister now coming from the same political party, there is hope for a more coherent foreign policy, unlike Chancellor Scholz's office, where the Greens Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock often held diverging positions.
The Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) will oversee the Interior Ministry, the newly created Ministry of Research and Space, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) will retain influential portfolios: the ministries of finance and defence, as well as labour and social affairs, development, environment and climate, justice, construction, and housing.
As noted, the candidates for foreign affairs and defence are giving Ukrainians reason for optimism: both Boris Pistorius and Johann Wadephul are considered clearly pro-Ukrainian.
Wadephul has worked closely with Merz and advised him on foreign policy matters. Unsurprisingly, he is viewed as one of the future chancellor’s trusted confidants.
In a recent comprehensive interview ahead of his nomination, Wadephul stated that "Germany’s freedom is being defended in Donbas" and described Vladimir Putin as "destructive, aggressive, and ravenous." While he supports Ukraine’s NATO membership, he acknowledged that this issue remains complicated while the war continues and advised against making it a central focus for now.
He has expressed indignation at US President Joe Biden for allegedly shifting responsibility for the war onto Ukraine and criticised Vice President JD Vance’s speech in Munich as an "attack on Europe’s democratic system."
Merz’s ministerial picks are seen as a blend of seasoned experts and loyal allies.
However, the most public concern in Germany has surrounded two of the appointees: the economy and digitalisation ministers.
Katherina Reiche, a top executive at the energy company Westenergie, is set to lead the Economy Ministry. Carsten Wildberger, CEO of international firm Ceconomy AG, will head the new Ministry for Digitalisation and Modernisation.
Their rapid transition from business into government has raised worries about potential lobbying influence over these ministers.
The CSU’s nomination of Alexander Dobrindt as Interior Minister signals a forthcoming tougher stance on migration.
The SPD is expected to officially announce its ministerial appointments in the coming days.