A day after the U.S. announced they might ban entry for foreign politicians whose countries limit the free speech of Americans, German chancellor Friedrich Merz hit back against U.S. criticism of the state of European democracy and freedoms.
During a ceremony honoring EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with the Charlemagne Prize—awarded to individuals who promote European unity—Merz delivered his defense of Europe. He referenced U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s speech in Munich this past February, in which Vance questioned what Europe is defending itself for—not just against—and stated:
We in Europe stand for what we—over centuries, through countless setbacks and catastrophes—what we have conceived, developed, achieved, and fought for together: namely, the conviction that freedom and democracy are worth standing up for resolutely and, if necessary, fighting to preserve them.
Big words from the leader of a country where pensioners are jailed for speaking their minds on social media, where two parties that suffered historic election losses formed a coalition to keep the country’s most popular party out of power, and where the justice minister pushes to ban said opposition party “to defend democracy.”
“Democracy,” it seems, in the common parlance of liberals, no longer denotes a form of governance but rather a policy content consisting of progressive, globalist ideology.
Merz also hailed “a new spirit of unity” among Europeans—in line with the occasion. The Charlemagne Prize, awarded by the German city of Aachen, “is directed at a voluntary union of the European peoples without constraint, so that in their newfound strength they may defend the highest earthly goods—freedom, humanity and peace—and safeguard the future of their children and children’s children.” It is considered the most important award for services to European unification.
The fact that the example the chancellor quoted for this purported European unity was its support for Ukraine only emphasizes the hollowness of his statement. The EU has already found ways to circumvent member states that oppose continued funding of the war, and even contemplated changing the Union’s foundational treaties to remove member states’ veto power.
Democracy and freedom? Maybe the Americans are correct this time.
