BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday said US tech billionaire Elon Musk is threatening European democracy with his attacks on political leaders and support for the far right.
“He supports the far right across Europe — in the UK, Germany and many other countries. This is something that is completely unacceptable, that endangers the democratic development of Europe,” Scholz said.
Musk, the world’s richest man, has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks on the continent’s leaders, including Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Musk, who used his influence and vast wealth to help propel Donald Trump to victory in the White House race, has also been vocal in his support for Germany’s far-right AfD before snap elections in Germany on February 23.
Musk earlier this month hosted Alice Weidel, the AfD’s candidate to be the German chancellor, for a wide-ranging livestream on his X social media platform.
He also boosted the livestream of an AfD congress by sharing it on his own X account, helping it gain a worldwide audience.
Dozens of EU lawmakers this week expressed “deep concern” over Musk’s interference in European politics in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Scholz on Friday said he was not criticizing the fact that “a billionaire from another country is speaking his mind in a global world.”
But “his partisanship for the extreme right, whether out of business interests or for reasons that have something to do with his own political stance, that is unacceptable,” Scholz said.
Musk backing for European far right ‘endangers democracy’: Scholz
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Musk backing for European far right ‘endangers democracy’: Scholz
- The world’s richest man has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks on the continent’s leaders
- Musk used his influence and vast wealth to help propel Donald Trump to victory in the White House race
Germany’s Merz visits India to push defense industry ties ahead of EU trade deal
- India, Germany make joint declarations on cooperation in defense, critical minerals, energy
- Merz is accompanied by CEOs of top German companies such as Thyssen, Siemens, Bosch
NEW DELHI: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to push for defense industry cooperation ahead of India’s awaited free trade agreement with the EU.
Merz’s two-day trip is his first since taking office in May and he is accompanied by German business leaders.
The visit started in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Modi’s home state, where they held a press conference after a delegation-level meeting and a series of joint declarations, including on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, critical minerals, semiconductors, and energy.
“The growing cooperation in defense and security is a symbol of our mutual trust and shared vision,” Modi said, as he thanked Merz for “simplifying the processes” related to defense trade.
“We will also work on a roadmap to enhance cooperation between our defense industries, which will open up new opportunities for co-development and co-production.”
The roadmap would promote long-term industry-level collaboration, including technology partnerships, co-development and co-production of defense platforms and equipment, according to Prof. Ummu Salma Bava, chairperson of the Special Centre for National Security Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
“This defense cooperation marks a transformational shift in the bilateral relations that had till now focused on economic cooperation, and inaugurates a new chapter on a scaled-up defense engagement,” she told Arab News.
“PM Modi indicated that both countries are entering the ‘limitless’ phase in expanding economic cooperation in strategic sectors.”
Germany is India’s most important trading partner in Europe and one of its top partners worldwide, with bilateral trade in goods and services estimated by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs at $50 billion.
In Merz’s delegation are 25 CEOs and industry leaders, including from Thyssen Krupp Maritime Systems, Siemens, DHL Group, Infineon Technologies, Uniper, Airbus Defence and Space.
German media reported that one of the key focuses of the visit is finalizing the details of an $8 billion deal to jointly build submarines in India.
The visit comes as India and the EU — of which Germany is the largest economy — are working on a free trade agreement. It also takes place ahead of an EU-India summit in New Delhi on Jan. 27, where parts of the pact are expected to be finalized.
“The visit of the large business delegation with 25 German CEOs is to tap into the growing economic potential and also further strengthen the bilateral economic relations,” Bava said.
“The signing of the India-EU FTA will further expand trade between India and Germany. Germany is the largest economy in the EU and has a strong base in automobiles, engineering, advanced manufacturing, chemicals and defense industry.”
