Germany and France Press EU on Budget and Trade Powers

In October 2026, Germany and France pushed the European Union to take on new trade powers. German Chancellor Merz and French President Macron called for political build-up in trade conflicts. Merz threatened Brussels with the failure of the two-trillion budget and said Germany would benefit from that failure. Macron, by contrast, wants more spending in the EU budget, while Germany says less. A foreign minister urged the EU to work with China in the same direction on trade.