Berlin, Germany – The German government has acknowledged difficulties in setting up the planned National Security Council, a new body aimed at improving the coordination of foreign policy among various ministries.
In a response to a question from green party security policy expert Agniezska Brugger, reported by the Spiegel, the Chancellery admitted that the foundations for the new council are still being worked out and as a result, the National Security Council has not yet convened.
The new council, situated in the Chancellery under the leadership of Friedrich Merz, is intended to facilitate better coordination of foreign policy among the various ministries and was announced as a central innovation in the coalition agreement. However, a month after taking office, the roundtable of representatives from the ministries, led by Jacob Schrot, the Chancellor’s confidant, has not even discussed the external political situation or the war in Ukraine.
Brugger views the slow start as evidence of the new government’s lack of planning. “Instead of the foreign policy from a single cast, as promised by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, chaos and contradictions prevail” the Bundestag member criticizes.