00:00German Chancellor Friedrich Mayers says his top priority for this election period is to draw Germany out of its recession and to strengthen Europe's defence.
00:11Speaking to journalists at the Chancellor's traditional summer briefing, Mayers underlined his close relationship with European leaders Macron, Tusk and Starmer
00:20and said he had been working intensively with US partners on tariff policies and the situation with Israel and Gaza.
00:28The German leader developed sharp criticism about the EU which he said is too bureaucratic and slow to solve its citizens' problems.
00:37He emphasised that the migration problem needs to be solved.
00:40Mertz showcased his diplomacy by refusing to badmouth Merkel's 2015 migration policy of Verschaffendas and said that Mertz's government is on course to correct it.
00:50Mertz's answers on Friday marked a shift in tone from the previous government as he attempts to strike a balance between socialist and conservative policies within the coalition.
01:02Germany is facing an uphill battle to become more productive and more competitive that is likely to define Mertz's leadership for the next three years.
