FILE PHOTO: Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor-in-waiting and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party CDU, looks on, on the day they give a statement after coalition talks, in Berlin, Germany, March 4, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
BERLIN (Reuters) -German election winner Friedrich Merz's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) concluded preliminary talks on forming a coalition government on Saturday, promising to get tough on illegal migration, support industry and boost the economy.
Chancellor-in-waiting Merz wants to form a coalition by Easter, which falls on April 20 this year. He has warned it was "five minutes to midnight" for Europe to fend for itself against a hostile Russia, with the U.S. under President Donald Trump no longer seen as a reliable ally.
