CDU-Chief Merz defends himself after criticism of Eurofighter co-flight
CDU Chairman Friedrich Merz defended his flight in an Eurofighter combat jet against criticism. Merz stated in the ARD summer interview: "I was invited by the Air Force, like many others before me." He is a substitute member in the Defense Committee and accepted the invitation from the Bundeswehr. "I will also accept invitations from the Navy and the Army." These are in the concrete planning. "I really wanted to convince myself of the readiness, in this case of the Air Force - over the Baltic Sea, and that is one of the neuralgic, sensitive spots in the conflict with Russia at the moment. And that was exactly right."
Green Party Chairwoman Ricarda Lang criticized Merz's flight in that Eurofighter combat jet. "That's rather thoughtless. Over 100,000 euros should have been spent for the troops instead of personal adventures and self-staging", Lang wrote on the Internet platform X.
Merz had completed the flight when he visited the Eurofighter airbase Laage in Rostock in June. The hobby pilot flew parts of the way himself, but the command was in the front cockpit of the Luftwaffe pilot. The aircraft broke the sound barrier during the flight.
Merz said in the ARD that the flight would have taken place anyway. The Bundeswehr flies the Eurofighter regularly. "We were at that location that day. That was not the only flight. Several more took place until nightfall. And at one of these flights, I was there."
Lang apparently referred to the government response to a parliamentary inquiry by Left MP Cornelia Möhring on the costs of the flight. However, the Defense Ministry emphasized in the response that the costs of 111,242.38 euros were not incurred exclusively for the CDU Chairman: "These costs (...) would have arisen (...) even without the flight of third parties, as the Eurofighter training flight took place in routine flight operations and would have taken place with the same flying content without the presence of MP Friedrich Merz."
After Lang's criticism, Merz continued to defend his Eurofighter flight during an ARD-Summer Interview. He mentioned that he was invited by the Bundeswehr, just like previous individuals, and saw it as an opportunity to witness the Air Force's readiness at a sensitive Baltic Sea location. In the interview, Merz also admitted that the flight would have taken place regardless, as the Bundeswehr frequently uses Eurofighters for training.
