Merz hosts Nausėda in Berlin on Lithuanian EU presidency

--- The context --- Security and defence form a central part of the announced visit in Berlin. That focus belongs to the Lithuanian presidency in the first half of 2027 and has the support of the Federal Government. --- The facts --- Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz will receive the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, on Tuesday 3 November 2026, at around 10.15, with military honours at the Federal Chancellery. --- The positions --- Under the announced agenda, the Chancellor will exchange views with President Nausėda on security and defence, a focus of the Lithuanian presidency that the Federal Government also supports. The agenda also includes the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the competitiveness agenda and EU enlargement. --- What remains unknown --- No concrete security and defence agreements arising from this meeting are known. No later timetable has been reported either, nor decisions after the conversation. --- Unanswered questions --- What security and defence agreements will emerge in Berlin? How will Federal Government support for that focus be translated into practice? Will a later timetable for the first half of 2027 be known? --- EPM analysis --- The reception with military honours and German backing for that focus give the visit clear weight within a broader European agenda. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the most relevant aspect of the visit is the explicit support of the Federal Government for security and defence as a focus of the Lithuanian presidency in the first half of 2027. That support, expressed before the presidency begins, provides clarity on the announced priorities, although its definitive importance will depend on the concrete results, the agreements reached and the timetable known after the Berlin meeting.

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