Germany news: Merz courts 'frugals' to trim EU budget

Germany news: Merz courts 'frugals' to trim EU budget August 27, 2026What you need to know - The German chancellor is seeking allies among EU net contributor countries as Germany pushes for a smaller budget - The lead candidates from the far-right Alternative for Germany and center-right Christian Democratic Union clashed in a televised debate Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Monday, August 10, 2026: Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add DW as a Preferred Source on Google. AfD, CDU candidates clash ahead of Saxony-Anhalt vote The leading candidates for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have traded sharp attacks in a televised debate ahead of Saxony-Anhalt's state election. State Premier Sven Schulze, the CDU's lead candidate, and AfD challenger Ulrich Siegmund faced each other in a televised debate on regional public broadcaster MDR in Magdeburg on Wednesday evening. Schulze accused Siegmund of having "no plan for the future of Saxony-Anhalt," including when it came to creating jobs. "I don't just talk, I deliver," Schulze said. Siegmund countered that the AfD had a "clear plan" for the state. He said his party wanted, among other things, to "reorganize" migration, which he argued would free up money for investment in areas such as hospitals. "We will make history," Siegmund said, referring to the AfD's goal of governing the state alone with him as premier. "Saxony-Anhalt is the beginning of political change in Germany." Merz seeks allies for smaller EU budget German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hosting leaders from several EU countries in Berlin on Thursday to push for a smaller and modernized EU budget. The talks come ahead of key negotiations this autumn. Merz has invited like-minded EU leaders to the Chancellery for lunch as Germany seeks allies in negotiations over the bloc's next long-term budget. Representatives from the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Denmark are expected to attend, although the German government has not confirmed the final list of participants. Germany and the four countries are all net contributors to the EU budget, meaning they pay more into it than they receive. The group is among the countries sometimes referred to in Brussels as "the frugals," which are pushing to limit the size of the EU's next seven-year budget and change how the money is spent. Merz has called for several hundred billion euros to be cut from previous proposals "in all areas." Last summer, the European Commission proposed a budget of almost €2 trillion for the 2028-2034 period. A subsequent proposal put forward by Cyprus was slightly smaller but remained substantially above the current budget. Merz described that proposal as "unaffordable and unbalanced." Welcome to our coverage Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is trying to build support for a smaller EU budget. He is hosting leaders from several like-minded EU countries in Berlin ahead of key negotiations this autumn. Meanwhile, the lead candidates for Saxony-Anhalt's state election have clashed in a televised debate, with the far-right Alternative for Germany riding high in the polls. Stay with us here for these stories and more of what Germany is talking about today.