“The Social Democrat Scholz has not proven himself trustworthy in recent years, but more importantly, he does not deserve any different treatment,” said the Neue Zuercher Zeitung.

As British newspapers point out, Europe is facing serious problems with Ukraine, relations with US President-elect Donald Trump, and with China, and it would be bad if Europe’s German-French engine were to stop right now.

The Czech publication Hospodarske noviny believes that Germany needs reforms. “The economy under Chancellor Scholz has been stagnating for a long time, not least because of high energy prices”, the paper said.

According to the newspaper, the Germans have not invested in innovation or infrastructure, as evidenced by collapsing road bridges, and trains that are always late.

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