According to Wolfgang Ischinger, the long‑time head of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU is set to shape the agenda right from the opening of the conference on Friday. Speaking to journalists in Berlin on Monday, Ischinger remarked that Merz is likely looking to set the tone by being the first to speak. This arrangement, he added, marks a change from the conference’s usual programme.
Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius, however, saw no particular novelty in the Chancellor’s appearance. He noted that in the thirty years he has attended the MSC, the German prime minister has frequently opened the meeting. For Friday, the spokesman announced that the Chancellor will deliver a “fundamental speech” expressing his eagerness to use the platform to clarify the German government’s position on key foreign‑policy issues.