"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared on Thursday that Germany has moved from being Europe's laggard to taking a leadership role on defence, yet warned that the future of NATO in its current form is uncertain. "I am not sure whether, in five or ten years' time, we will still have this NATO in its present form," he said during the Christian Democratic Union election event, ahead of the Hessian local elections taking place on March 15. Merz also said that Europe must be capable of defending itself independently, however argued that the transatlantic alliance remains indispensable. "I shall tell Trump again on Tuesday morning: the hand remains extended. I want NATO, with America and Europe, to remain the Western alliance it has always been. It was never merely a military alliance," noted Merz. The German chancellor said he would tell US President Donald Trump that "the hand remains extended," but at the same time underscored that Europe must be prepared for a scenario in which Washington shifts its strategic focus elsewhere. "Then we must ourselves be in a position to defend our own security. And I believe that, with 450 million inhabitants in this European Union, we are capable of doing so. In terms of population, we are larger than the United States of America — one and a half times as large," said Merz. He urged that Germany must become a 'true locomotive of the European Union' but still there is a need to correct 'some distortions.' "Quite simply, we are no longer sufficiently competitive […] But if you come back from China, ladies and gentlemen, you are left with an even clearer sense that prosperity in our country cannot be sustained in the long term with a work-life balance mentality and a four-day working week. We shall simply have to put in a bit more effort." Merz also drew a sharp line between environmental ambition and industrial survival, warning that green targets must not come at the expense of the country’s manufacturing base. "I am not prepared to give up Germany as an industrial location simply because we are pursuing a completely over-the-top environmental policy," he concluded."