'Our freedom is not guaranteed': German Chancellor Merz says 'Rules-based world order no longer exists'

Friedrich Merz

• Friedrich Merz warns the post-war global order no longer exists
• Merz warns Europe to brace for major power rivalry and sacrifices
• Leaders stress Europe must boost defense and transatlantic ties

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Friedrich Merz on Friday delivered a blunt warning to world leaders, saying the rules-based international system that shaped the post-war world has effectively broken down.

Addressing senior officials at the annual security gathering in Munich, which was attended by several European leaders and Marco Rubio, Merz said the assumptions that once underpinned global stability can no longer be relied upon.

“I fear we must put it even more bluntly: this order, however imperfect it was even at its best, no longer exists in that form,” Merz told leaders gathered in Munich.

He cautioned that Europe must prepare for a more turbulent era defined by rivalry among major powers.

“Our freedom is not guaranteed,” he said, arguing that the continent must be prepared to make “sacrifice” in a world shaped by big power politics.

Calling the summit a “defining moment,” Merz said the post-World War II order, “as imperfect as it was at its best times, no longer exists.”

He also acknowledged rising tensions between Europe and the United States.

“A rift, a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States,” he said, referencing comments made in Munich last year by US Vice-President JD Vance.

“The culture war of the Maga movement is not ours,” Merz added. “Freedom of speech ends here with us when that speech goes against human dignity and the constitution. We do not believe in tariffs and protectionism, but in free trade.”

His remarks come amid strained transatlantic ties, including US President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and impose tariffs on European imports.

Despite the tensions, Merz stressed that cooperation remains essential.

“In the era of great-power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone,” he said. “Dear friends, being a part of Nato is not only Europe’s competitive advantage. It’s also the United States’ competitive advantage, so let’s repair and revive trans-Atlantic trust together.”

He admitted that Europe’s “excessive dependency” on Washington was partly self-inflicted but insisted that the continent is taking steps to strengthen its position.

“We won’t do this by writing off Nato — we will do it by building a strong, self-supporting European pillar in the alliance, in our own interest,” he said. He acknowledged that Europe and the US will likely have to bridge more disagreements in the future than in the past, but “if we do this with new strength, respect and self-respect, that is to the advantage of both sides.”

Emmanuel Macron echoed the sentiment, urging Europe to move faster in becoming “a geopolitical power,” particularly in defence and technology.

“This is the right time for a strong Europe,” Macron said. “This Europe will be a good ally and partner for the United States of America, because it will be a partner taking its fair share of the burden. It will be a partner being respected — and we have to be respected.”

Mark Rutte said there has been a “shift in mindset,” with “Europe really stepping up, Europe taking more of a leadership role within Nato, Europe also taking more care of its own defense.”

On the sidelines of the summit, Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of another round of US-brokered talks between Russian and Ukrainian envoys in Geneva next week.

Before leaving for Munich, Rubio signalled that Washington also recognises the changing global environment.

“The old world is gone — frankly, the world that I grew up in,” Rubio said, warning that traditional assumptions about alliances and power no longer apply.

“We live in a new era in geopolitics,” he added. “The world is changing very fast right in front of us, and it’s going to require all of us to reexamine what that looks like and what our role is going to be.”

Rubio described the Munich gathering as taking place at a “defining moment” for transatlantic ties and is scheduled to address the summit on Saturday.