--- description: Find out why Friedrich Merz is one of the 100 most influential people of 2025. title: Friedrich Merz: The 100 Most Influential People of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd52dec532306b314/6998c5bd47fe51768955b9b2/time100-2025-friedrich-merz.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 16, 2025 # Friedrich Merz by Mette Frederiksen  Leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz gestures during his speech at the final campaign event of Germany's Christian Democratic Union party on the eve of general elections in Munich, on February 22, 2025\. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDRA BEIER/AFP via Getty Images) Leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz gestures during his speech at the final campaign event of Germany's Christian Democratic Union party on the eve of general elections in Munich, on February 22, 2025\. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDRA BEIER/AFP via Getty Images)Alexandra Beier—AFP/Getty Images Europe stands at a crucial juncture in its history. Few articulate this better than Germany’s Friedrich Merz. Europe must not only become stronger and more adept at addressing critical challenges such as security and defense, the future of Ukraine, enhancing competitiveness, accelerating clean energy, and managing migration. It must also act swiftly. From the outset, Merz has been remarkably clear on these priorities. His actions demonstrate a commitment to making bold and important decisions to bolster [Germany’s defense](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2xxd4v6dzo "undefined")—and, by extension, Europe’s. There’s a German saying: _“Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm.”_ (Or: The early bird catches the worm.) It underscores the importance of timeliness and making the most of one’s opportunities. Friedrich Merz is an early bird, and I am confident he will leave a positive and enduring impact, ensuring a strong and resolute Europe. _Frederiksen is the Prime Minister_ _of Denmark_ Friedrich Merz Is on the 2025 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273789/friedrich-merz/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273789/friedrich-merz/"},"headline":"Friedrich Merz","datePublished":"2025-04-16T10:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:46:11.394Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273789/friedrich-merz/","keywords":["TIME100","franchise","Magazine","Special Project","sponsorshipblock","Accolades","T100Leaders2025"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd52dec532306b314/6998c5bd47fe51768955b9b2/time100-2025-friedrich-merz.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd52dec532306b314/6998c5bd47fe51768955b9b2/time100-2025-friedrich-merz.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273789/friedrich-merz/","name":"Friedrich Merz"}}]}] ```