German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (C) and members of his cabinet pose for a family photo during a two-day meeting of the German federal cabinet at the Villa Borsig, guesthouse of the German Foreign Ministry, in Berlin on September 30, 2025: (first row, sitting, L-R): German Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche, German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, German Minister for Research, Technology and Aerospace Dorothee Baer and German Minister for Digitalization and State Modernization Karsten Wildberger, (row behind, L-R): German Minister of State for Europe in the Foreign Office Gunther Krichbaum, German Minister for Justice and Consumer Protection Stefanie Hubig, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, German Minister for Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Karin Prien and German Minister for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Carsten Schneider. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)