
AI-generated summary
Friedrich Merz became German chancellor and faced a difficult September after the CDU's election defeats in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg, which fueled internal criticism of the party.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz continues to decline in the polls. Only one person in ten (10%) declares themselves satisfied or very satisfied with the work of the CDU politician in the "Deutschlandtrend" survey by the broadcaster Ard. This is the lowest value ever recorded for a chancellor in the history of the "Deutschlandtrend" since 1997, as reported by the WDR.
Almost nine out of ten people (88%) say they are little or not at all satisfied. At the beginning of September Merz had obtained 13% of the vote.
Kanzler has just returned from a complicated month of September due to the electoral defeats of the Christian Democrats in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg. The results have provoked criticism against Merz even from members of his own party.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Merz will face growing pressure to improve his poll results in the coming weeks
Likely · Within weeks

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to the EU Commission asking for greater flexibility in the European fiscal framework to address the impact of higher-than-forecast inflation and high energy prices, underlining that 20.4% of GDP is directly affected by inflation and 12.0% by other effects in 2027. She called a center-right meeting at Palazzo Chigi to define the government's strategy, while Brussels responded by saying it had already granted flexibility to member states. Greece and the Czech Republic are making similar proposals, including measures on the ETS and the use of additional VAT revenue from inflation.

Only one in ten (10%) say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the work of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the ARD's 'Deutschlandtrend' survey, the lowest value recorded for a chancellor since 1997. 88% say they are slightly or not at all satisfied, down from 13% in September. The results follow the CDU's electoral defeats in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg.

The Italian government, meeting at Palazzo Chigi in view of the public finance policy document, is asking for greater flexibility from the European Commission to address the impact of inflation on public finances linked to the energy crisis. Giorgia Meloni confirmed that she had sent a letter to President von der Leyen, while Brussels claims that it has already granted flexibility to member states and has not yet received the Italian letter. At the same time, Italy and the Czech Republic are proposing temporary ETS measures to reduce the impact of energy costs, and Greece is similarly calling for flexibility in EU economic governance.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asking for greater budget flexibility to deal with the impact of higher-than-forecast inflation. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti explained that the request is technical but substantial, since the nominal spending path must deal with a higher real inflation rate than that planned by the Commission. Brussels responded by stating that it had already granted space through the extension of the national safeguard clause to energy and defence, and that it was examining the Italian request together with that of the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, the meeting for the launch of the Public Finance Policy Document (DPFP) continues at Palazzo Chigi, in view of the 2027 Budget Law.

The White House has excluded CNN from the press pool covering President Donald Trump's trip to Texas and Oklahoma, despite a federal ruling that had blocked the attempt to limit access to the television network and other media. CNN was designated for the September 27 media rotation.

The mayor of Genoa, Silvia Salis, was not invited on stage during the inauguration of the 66th Boat Show. Prime Minister Meloni defined the incident as an organizational error and contacted the mayor, while the opposition criticized the fact as an offense to the city.