German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared on Thursday that Europe is prepared to defend its core values of freedom and democracy, if necessary, in a clear response to criticisms of the European Union from the Trump administration.
Speaking at the Charlemagne Prize ceremony honoring European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Merz also reiterated that Europe seeks to avoid escalating its tariff dispute with the United States, which would harm both sides.
He referenced a speech by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Munich in February, in which Vance criticized Europe, stating it faced a “threat from within” and that free speech was “in retreat.”
Merz’s comments follow the U.S. announcement that it will impose visa bans on foreign nationals deemed to be censoring Americans, potentially including officials regulating U.S. tech companies.
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While no specific targets were named, U.S. tech companies and the Trump administration have challenged U.S. allies in Europe, alleging censorship of social media platforms.
“U.S. Vice President JD Vance confronted us with this question… What is it that we Europeans defend together? What is it that we stand for together?” Merz said.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we don’t have just any answer to that. We have the strongest and best answer imaginable,” he stated.
“It is: We in Europe stand for what we… have conceived, developed, achieved, and fought for together: namely, the conviction that freedom and democracy are worth standing up for resolutely and, if necessary, fighting to preserve them.”
Merz, who assumed office this year vowing to strengthen the German army into the strongest conventional force in Europe, affirmed Germany’s commitment to bolstering Europe and praised “a new spirit of unity” among Europeans.
He cited support for Ukraine and a recent trade and defense agreement with Britain as examples of this unity.
