Germany's Merz vows response to summer of heat and drought

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to take concrete action in response to this summer's heatwaves and drought, after touring the western region hit by recent wildfires.

Ministers will present their assessments of the current situation at a meeting, Merz said at the opening of a two-day Cabinet retreat outside Berlin. "We will then draw conclusions from this for the next Cabinet meetings, leading to concrete decisions."

On Saturday, Merz visited the Eifel region in the west of the country to see for himself the damage caused by the forest fires there. "Drought, heat, forest fires and crop failures make it clear to us that there is a need for concrete action," the chancellor said. 

"We must continue to curb climate change and, at the same time, better adapt our country to the consequences of climate change," he added.

Ahead of the Cabinet meeting, ministers from Merz's Social Democrat coalition partner spoke out in favour of amending Germany's constitution, known as the Basic Law, to strengthen measures against climate change. Merz's conservative bloc responded with scepticism.

To pass a constitutional amendment, the coalition would need a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament, meaning it would require support not only from the Greens but also from either The Left party or the far-right Alternative for Germany - parties that Merz's conservatives refuse to cooperate with.