Merz says tackling Germany’s economic woes tougher than expected

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other European leaders amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 18, 2025. REUTERS/Al Drago

BERLIN: German chancellor Friedrich Merz says tackling the country’s economic challenges is proving to be a far greater undertaking than he initially anticipated.

“I say this also self-critically – this task is bigger than one or the other may have imagined a year ago,” Merz said in a speech in the northern German town of Osnabrueck on Saturday.