Germany sets up National Security Council amid growing threats

The German government announced on Wednesday the creation of a national security council to enhance coordination and planning on security and defense matters.

At a news conference in Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized that his Cabinet made the significant decision in just four months, despite the fact that establishing such a council had been discussed for three decades.

"This body will be a central platform for the German government to address overarching national security issues at the interface between internal, external, economic, and digital security," he said, adding that in today's complex world, security challenges cannot be handled by any single ministry or agency alone.

"The establishment of this National Security Council will enable forward-looking strategic work to be carried out, for example through the updating of our national security strategy. The National Security Council will be an important building block for our approach to a coherent security policy," Merz said.