Merz, 14 months in, tells Berlin press he's a 'learning system' as poll discontent hovers above 80%

The setting

Around 200 domestic and foreign journalists filled the Bundespressekonferenz hall in Berlin on Wednesday for the traditional summer press conference. It was the second such appearance of Friedrich Merz's chancellorship, a ritual introduced by his predecessor Angela Merkel in 2006. The moderator noted it was Merz's 17th visit since 1999, adding that Merkel had been there 46 times in the same span. Merz did not react visibly to the comparison.

'I am a learning system'

Asked by a reporter to name the weakest moment of his 14 months in office, Merz paused, then said he would need more time to think about it. Pressed on what mistakes he had learned from, he replied that he was "a learning system" who learns every day. Throughout the roughly 90-minute session he avoided sharp retorts, a deliberate strategy after a first year marked by unguarded remarks on pensions, work-life balance, and the urban landscape.

I am a learning system and I learn something new every day.

The sales pitch

Merz struck the tone of a sober salesman. He told the room the government had found its rhythm, delivered on key projects, and grasped the scale of the tasks ahead. He singled out tax relief for small and middle incomes, the reform of statutory health insurance financing, and the pension reform blueprint produced by the government's commission. On pensions he returned repeatedly, even when not asked, praising the commission's ideas and confirming the coalition intends to adopt them.

The balance is positive. The federal government has found its rhythm, despite some criticism. We have delivered, and we have recognised the dimension of the tasks that lie ahead of us.

The economy and climate realism

Merz conceded that the German economy was not where he wanted it. Growth remained anaemic and the reforms were taking longer than he had expected. He sounded, according to one account, more like a CEO than a chancellor. On climate, he argued that Germany could not halt climate change alone, and that the second great task was learning to live with it. Several outlets characterised this as a striking lack of ambition.

We have achieved a lot, but it is still nowhere near enough. That is all not sufficient to get us back to where I would like to see us again, as one of Europe's strongest economies.

The AfD and the autumn elections

Upcoming state elections in eastern Germany, particularly in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, drew repeated questions. Merz said he remained confident the CDU could prevent the AfD from winning a majority of seats. He addressed AfD voters directly, urging them to look closely at what the federal government was trying to achieve and not to rely solely on social media for information. He declined to answer hypothetical questions about what would happen if the AfD led a state government, insisting he did not believe it would come to that.

Holding the line

Merz deflected questions about a second term and his relationship with the Springer publishing house with tight smiles. Asked when he would decide whether to seek re-election, he said the moment was not now and that the work of the coalition absorbed him completely. The Süddeutsche Zeitung observed that the coalition was indeed more stable than a year ago but warned the real test would arrive in the autumn, when pension and long-term care reforms are slated. Merz ended the 90-minute session having committed no gaffe, which several outlets judged a form of progress.