German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Europe needed to take greater responsibility for its own defence if NATO is to remain a strong transatlantic alliance, pledging that Germany would sharply increase military spending and meet NATO's new defence target years ahead of schedule. “NATO must become more European so that it can remain transatlantic,” Merz said. “In recent years, we have done too little for our own security. We are now making up for that.” #Germany #NATO #Europe #Defence #Security