Friedrich Merz promised tougher measures to tackle illegal migration, including by turning away people at Germany's borders and expanding border controls, promising to act along with other EU members.

Germany’s conservative bloc and the Social Democrats agreed to deepen talks over forming a new government, a step forward as pressure builds on Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz to implement sweeping reforms.

Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor-in-waiting and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party CDU, looks on, on the day they give a statement after coalition talks, in Berlin, Germany, March 4, 2025.

German election winner Friedrich Merz's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) completed preliminary talks on Saturday on forming a coalition government that will take further shape in coming weeks.

The German parties negotiating the country's new government have reached an agreement in their exploratory talks and concluded the discussions, conservative bloc leader Friedrich Merz said on Saturday.

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) have agreed on a framework document for further negotiations on forming a government, according to Der Spiegel. Less than two weeks after the early elections to the Bundestag,

Election winner Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU, its Bavarian sister party CSU, and the Social Democrats (SPD) have taken a major step toward forming a coalition government, the heads of the parties said.