German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on October 19, 2026 that Germany must significantly increase its investment in artificial intelligence to preserve its industrial competitiveness and disclosed that an agreement with Nvidia would be announced shortly. The remarks mark a renewed push by Berlin in Europe’s AI race and a key plank in the Merz government’s drive to digitise German industry.
German Chancellor Merz has called the recent state elections a ‘disaster’ for his CDU party but has pledged to remain in office. Exit polls showed damaging losses in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin, increasing political pressure on his leadership.
Core Summary Germany held key state elections on Sunday, widely viewed as a significant test of Chancellor Merz’s political fortunes. International media outlets including the BBC reported that if Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) performs poorly in these state elections, the political pressure on the chancellor will intensify further. The elections will affect not only Germany’s domestic political landscape but also European policy directions on immigration, security, and economic issues. ...