On Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, for an inaugural visit to the Chancellery. The two discussed various issues, including the EU summit scheduled for the end of the week, as the chancellor told journalists at the start of the meeting.

Metsola is a frequent guest at the European Council and will report on the situation in the European Parliament there. Merz praised the cooperation with the EU Parliament, noting that he himself comes from that institution and therefore has a strong affection for it.

He added that both sides have joint tasks to address. “We are now facing the major challenge of substantially improving the competitiveness of European industry” he said. This topic will top the agenda at the upcoming EU summit, and Merz thanked the Parliament for the strong support it offers on the matter.