THE POLICY OF THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT LED BY CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MERZ REGARDING THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION PROCESS DURING 2025

The article is devoted to the study of traditions and innovations in the policy of the German federal government headed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding the process of European integration. Merz was called the foreign policy chancellor. The purpose of the article is to study the historical tradition and innovations in the policy of the Merz government regarding the process of European integration. The research methodology is based on general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis) and special historical methods (problem-chronological, historical-comparative, retrospective) in order to make it possible to follow the trends of preserving traditions and introducing innovations into the policy of the Federal Republic of Germany regarding the process of European integration. The scientific novelty of the article lies in a comprehensive study of the priorities of the German government’s policy regarding the process of European integration. The factors that influence these trends are shown, and the contradictions that create structural problems on the way to implementing the German European strategy are identified. The impact of domestic political discussions between the authorities and the opposition on determining the priorities of German interests in the European Union is shown. The impact of the policy of restoring Germany’s defense capabilities on changing the place of EU enlargement in the hierarchy of Germany’s European strategy is studied. Conclusions. The intentions to transform the Bundeswehr into a powerful component of the European army clashed with traditional pacifism and the desire to preserve a comfortable life. Domestic political turbulence in France negatively affected the effectiveness of the functioning of the German-French tandem, which is the engine of the European integration process. The risks of the far-right party «National Rally» coming to power in France cast doubt on the possibility of using the French nuclear umbrella for Germany instead of American nuclear weapons. German-Polish relations developed in a difficult way, given the factor of the right-wing populist party «Law and Justice». The pro-Russian course of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico slowed down the development of Germany’s relations with the Visegrad Four countries. This trend was especially evident after Andrzej Babis came to power in the Czech Republic. In contrast, Germany’s relations with the countries of the North and South of Europe were dynamic. The European strategy of the Merz government, manifested in the coalition agreement, was based on strengthening European solidarity, restoring the defense capabilities of the European Union, and maintaining the stability of the common European currency, the euro.