The centre-right CDU's leader has committed himself to taking a more active role in the bloc in the midst of what he says is declining transatlantic interest in Europe. View on euronews

Germany's conservatives won the country's snap elections, but many in the party are disappointed at its overall showing. The SPD fared even worse, plummeting to the worst result in its modern history.

Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.