Germany’s Merz says Europe still far too dependent on software from US

Germany’s Merz says Europe still far too dependent on software from US
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at the Schwarz Ecosystem Summit in Berlin, Sept. 26, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 26 September 2025
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Germany’s Merz says Europe still far too dependent on software from US

Germany’s Merz says Europe still far too dependent on software from US
  • Merz said rules are no longer being observed in the United States

BERLIN: Germany still depends far too much on software from the United States, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, calling for Europe to focus more on digital sovereignty and its own data centers.
“I want us in Europe, not just us in Germany, but we in Europe as a whole, to become more independent, more sovereign, and to develop some of our strengths ourselves,” he told an audience at a summit in Berlin.
He said rules are no longer being observed in the United States, which has fundamentally transformed over the last few years so that changes will not revert after the next election.


Erdogan ally floats releasing jailed pro-Kurdish leader Demirtas

Erdogan ally floats releasing jailed pro-Kurdish leader Demirtas
Updated 58 min 6 sec ago
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Erdogan ally floats releasing jailed pro-Kurdish leader Demirtas

Erdogan ally floats releasing jailed pro-Kurdish leader Demirtas
  • Erdogan ally floats releasing jailed pro-Kurdish leader Demirtas

ISTANBUL: Turkish nationalist party leader Devlet Bahceli, who is President Tayyip Erdogan’s main parliamentary ally, said on Tuesday that it could be beneficial to release from prison the former pro-Kurdish party leader Selahattin Demirtas.
The surprise comment before reporters outside parliament came a year after Bahceli — who has in the past pushed for major policy changes from Erdogan — called for the beginning of a peace process with the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).