Friedrich Merz did not rule out common European Union borrowing for defence on Friday during his first trip to Brussels as German chancellor, but said it could only be for exceptional circumstances and that he was worried about rising global debt.

The conservative politician had unexpectedly failed to secure enough support in the initial round of parliamentary voting.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for the lifting of all tariffs between the United States and the European Union in his first telephone call with US President Donald Trump. "I told him that I don't think it's a good idea to escalate this customs dispute,