Overview
- In Dortmund, Merz said Germany faces major pressures in the labor market, social security, and foreign and security policy, citing a shifting global order.
- He rejected resignation by invoking the postwar rebuilding generation and questioned current debates over work–life balance or a four‑day week.
- Speaking in the Ruhr, he stressed that the region’s story has relied on immigration for more than a century.
- He praised Mittelstand firms and the craft trades as cultural and economic pillars of the country.
- The Bäckerinnungsverband West honored him with the 1.2‑meter, 10‑kilogram “Großer Stutenkerl,” as Watzke lauded his “right compass” and urged more public understanding for governing.