European Parliament’s Defense Committee Chair, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, criticizes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for not including Friedrich Merz in the Ukraine conference in London.
Strack-Zimmermann, a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), told the “taz” in an interview that it was unwise to exclude a potential future chancellor from a decisive moment. She also emphasized the need for more defense spending in Europe, particularly in the wake of the recent White House incident involving the Ukrainian president.
In the event of a vote in the old German parliament, the remaining FDP members in the Bundestag would need to decide whether to support a new special fund, which could lead to a majority. Strack-Zimmermann considered this process democratically challenging, even if the funds are urgently needed.
For the FDP’s leadership, she sees younger candidates as the way forward. “I think the future of the Liberals belongs in young hands” she told the “taz”. Strack-Zimmermann expressed openness to a dual leadership at the party, stating that she personally finds it a good idea, although the majority of the party could decide otherwise. When asked if she would be a candidate for the party chair, she declined to comment, saying that the priority is to prepare for the election results, with no one currently running for the position.