Friedrich Merz is facing a delicate mission as the CDU leader meets district chairmen, described as some of the party's most critical official voices. The meeting follows painful election defeats and brings tensions between the capital-city bubble and the party base into focus. Rasmus Buchsteiner analyzes how much pressure is on the chancellor behind closed doors and whether Merz can win back his own party's trust.
In a 200-second interview, Serap Güler, Cologne CDU district chair and state minister in the Foreign Office, makes clear demands of the party leadership. She calls for better communication and an unambiguous position on the AfD. The source also raises the question of whether the base still stands unconditionally behind Merz and those demands.
Separately, Berlin and London are back in focus diplomatically. On British Defence Minister Wes Streeting's first visit to Boris Pistorius, the talks cover far-reaching armaments projects, including a new long-range missile intended to deter Russia. Chris Lunday explains why France in particular could become a political disruptor in the multibillion-euro project.
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Sources: Politico Europe.