Merz Calls Capital Markets Top Lever to Revive Competitiveness

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the reform of the European Union’s capital markets is key to reviving the bloc’s ability to compete with other parts of the world.

“Perhaps the greatest lever we have for our sovereignty and competitiveness is finally creating large, liquid capital pools and an effective and efficient European financial market infrastructure in the relevant areas,” Merz said late Monday at Deutsche Boerse AG’s New Year reception hosted by Chief Executive Officer Stephan Leithner.

EU leaders are seeking to deepen the bloc’s financial markets by forging closer ties between member states and encouraging savers to ...