It is usual for a Chancellor’s first trip abroad to be to France.

On the first day after his election as German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz (CDU) is traveling today to neighboring France and Poland. In Paris, he will discuss, among other things, how Europe can become more independent following the radical change in foreign policy by the United States under President Donald Trump.

In Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk is likely to address irregular migration in addition to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Merz has announced tightening border controls and increased rejections from the first day of his term. The new CSU Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, is responsible for implementation. Poland is skeptical of the measures.

Merz was elected Chancellor on Tuesday in the second round of voting. That evening, his predecessor, Olaf Scholz of the SPD, handed over the reins of office to him in the Chancellery.

Merz had already announced during the election campaign that he would visit Paris and Warsaw on his first day in office. He has already met with both Macron and Tusk several times. As opposition leader, he had consistently accused his predecessor of letting relations with both of them slip.

Merz wants to redefine Germany's role in Europe. He announced in January in a keynote speech on foreign policy at the Körber Foundation that he wants to end Germany's "inability to speak out about European policy." His most important goal is to "repair" Germany's relations with France and Poland.

Together with Macron, he wants to realize "the idea of ​​a sovereign Europe." From the new chancellor's perspective, this includes, among other things, taking up Macron's idea of ​​a common European nuclear deterrent and holding concrete discussions on it.

Macron already congratulated Merz on his election to the Bundestag on Tuesday. "It's up to us to make the Franco-German engine and reflex stronger than ever," he said. "We'll meet tomorrow in Paris to work on this together."

The Élysée Palace wants to use Merz's visit to "send a very strong and immediate signal that a renewal is taking place in Franco-German relations." The main topics must be sovereignty, competitiveness, and security.

Paris is considered standard as the first stop for a chancellor abroad. Merz's visit to Poland on the first day after taking office, however, is a special gesture. Scholz traveled first to Paris and Brussels.

"A federal government led by me will end the lack of communication with Warsaw from day one," Merz announced. He intends to approach Poland "with respect and empathy."

For Poland, the issue of compensation for the war damage caused by Germany remains on the agenda. Furthermore, the Polish embassy in Berlin has already expressed criticism of the stricter border controls announced by Merz, which could begin on Wednesday.

Merz's inaugural visit comes at a critical juncture in the Polish presidential election campaign. Karol Nawrocki, the candidate supported by the national conservative PiS party, is citing both migration issues and World War II reparations to stoke anti-German sentiment.

Merz wants to place German-Polish relations on a new footing with a friendship treaty. According to his ideas, this treaty should be concluded on June 17, 2026, the 35th anniversary of the signing of the 1991 German-Polish Neighborhood Treaty.

The Chancellor will be accompanied in Paris and Warsaw by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) – a sign of the ambition for a new, unified foreign policy. During the "traffic light" government, this was not always the case, especially with regard to Ukraine policy. For the first time in almost 60 years, the Chancellor and Foreign Minister now belong to the same party. Since the 1960s, it has been customary for the chief diplomats to be appointed by the smaller coalition partners.