Coalition has ‘found its footing,’ Merz says

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during a summer press conference, touted reforms achieved by his government and said more are to come.

Merz belongs to the conservative Christian Democratic Union, which is in a federal governing coalition with the CDU’s Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union and the center-left Social Democrats.

Merz’s coalition recently pushed through reforms on healthcare and a legislative package in regards to tax relief, sick leave and pensions. “The coalition has found its footing,” the German chancellor said.

Merz said reform of nursing care insurance would be set into motion later this year. The government will also continue its efforts to eliminate burdensome bureaucracy.

Germany’s coalition government, which came into office in May 2025, has been often struggled with infighting on contentious issues such as pensions.

Public dissatisfied with Merz as regional elections loom

The summer press conference comes as German lawmakers head for recess.

Merz took questions as a poll from broadcasters RTL/ntv finds that only 14% of Germans are satisfied with his work.

The media briefing also comes ahead of regional elections in the three states: Mecklenburg-Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin. The far-right AfD is expected to make historic gains in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt and may soon find itself controlling a German state government for the first time.

Merz said he was “optimistic” that the AfD would not garner a majority in the upcoming regional elections. Merz also emphasized that his CDU would not work with the AfD or the socialist Left Party.

Marla-Svenja Liebich has been returned to Germany almost a year after the infamous neo-Nazi went on the run to avoid a jail term on incitement to hatred charges.

Liebich was apprehended in Czechia earlier this year, losing an appeal to fight deportation.

According to a spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office in Halle, a city in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, Lieblich arrived Wednesday at the women’s prison in the city of Chemnitz in the neighboring state of Saxony.

Liebich was reportedly “cooperative,” and there were “no notable incidents.”

Born Sven Liebich, the extremist has been accused of exploiting Germany’s self-determination law by applying for a legal gender change, having previously had a long history of making transphobic statements.

The 55-year-old was long active in the far-right scene in eastern Germany and has several criminal convictions. Liebich is also known for making anti-immigrant, homophobic, and anti-vaccine statements and spreading conspiracy theories.

One of Germany’s biggest weapons makers, Rheinmetall, has announced plans for a plant in Berlin. Opponents are warning against more German militarization.

Police in Germany and the neighboring Netherlands on Wednesday carried out raids targeting suspected drug laboratories.

Hundreds of police officers searched 10 properties in the western German state of North-Rhine Westphalia, with three others also searched in the Netherlands.

A German police spokesperson said three suspects were arrested on warrant, with others also taken into custody on site during the raids.

Several warehouses believed to function as production sites were also searched.

Nine suspects holding either German or Dutch nationalities were accused of acquiring raw material for producing amphetamines and operating amphetamine labs.

A 13-year-old girl died Wednesday in a car accident on the A3 motorway in the southern German state of Bavaria.

Four other people were also severely injured in the accident, according to Lower Bavaria police. Bavarian authorities have put out a call for witnesses.

The car is believed to have veered off the road as it traveled towards Austria near the border.

Police are investigating whether another vehicle, a gray sports car in the vicinity of the accident, had anything to do with the crash.

That vehicle had reportedly drove off to Austria after the crash and apparently did not sustain any damage.

Police have put out a call for witnesses.

Guten Tag from the DW online news team in Bonn on a sunny summer day.

You are joining us as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is taking questions from reporters as the German parliament, the Bundestag, heads into summer recess.

Meanwhile, German far-right extremist Maria-Svenja Liebich has been extradited from the Czech Republic to Germany.

Stay with us throughout the day for the latest news, multimedia content and on-the-ground analysis from DW correspondents on German current affairs.