Germany news: Merz issues business SOS in letter to allies
Chancellor Merz has told coalition politicians the situation in several key German businesses is "very critical." He said the government must prioritize improving areas like energy and labor costs in 2026. Follow DW.
Merz described the situation in several German business sectors as 'very critical,' pointing to job losses Image: Sina Schuldt/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Friedrich Merz sounds alarm on business competitiveness in New Year's letter to coalition partners Thousands remain without power in Berlin in freezing temperatures after power cable sabotage The coalition government in Brandenburg state has collapsed amid the disintegration of its junior partner party, the far-left BSW This blog is now closed.
Read below for a roundup of news in Germany on January 6. Conservatives in Germany want to continue their tough stance on migration in 2026. Speaking at his party's annual political kick-off in Seeon, Bavarian Premier Markus Söder of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria said young Ukrainian men will now be increasingly urged to leave Germany.
Conservatives have called for further measures to curb migration to Germany, especially after the number of first-time asylum applications in Germany more than halved in 2025. Young men from countries such as Syria and Ukraine will be encouraged to return. It is striking that Söder is raising the issue in the context of the debate about the possible deployment of European troops to Ukraine for peacekeeping purposes.
"Before young German men have to go to Ukraine, young Ukrainian men should first return home and help defend their own country," the CSU leader said, rejecting the deployment of German soldiers there, at least for the time being. It is no coincidence that Söder is referring to how public debate is developing here in Germany, with many Germans anxious over the newly passed bill bringing back voluntary military conscription.
CSU politicians have not specified what measures they intend to use to persuade men from Syria and Ukraine to return to their countries. From a purely legal standpoint, it is difficult to deny young men from Ukraine protection from war. Politically, the issue is highly controversial, especially at the beginning of an election year in Germany.
Regional elections will be held in five of Germany’s 16 states later this year, and in at least two of them there is a possibility that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will emerge as the strongest force. Should the AfD then succeed in coming to power in one of those states, it would shake up the political system in the country.
This is another reason why the most traditionally conservative members of the CSU are starting a debate that appeals to the AfD's voter base. “You can't explain to people in Germany why young Ukrainian men are here receiving welfare instead of defending their country,” said Alexander Hoffmann, head of the CSU regional group in the German parliament, or Bundestag.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz also lays out his position on potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in his start-of-year letter to members of his coalition government. He calls for comprehensive security guarantees for Kyiv in any potential accord. "We want a ceasefire that protects Ukraine's sovereignty," Merz writes in the letter.
He said that any deal therefore must "be underlaid with security guarantees from the US and Europe." On Tuesday afternoon, Merz is attending a meeting in Paris on the Ukraine conflict , with French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US special envoy Steve Witkoff among the other key figures set to attend.
The chancellor said the talks on a potential truce were taking place "in difficult conditions," as the Trump administration renews its push to halt a conflict the president used to boast that he would stop on his first day back in…