CDU Chair Friedrich Merz, who is expected to form the next German government, said last night as the votes were still being counted that his absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe step by step so that it gains independence from the U.S. He never thought that he would have to say this in a TV broadcast, he added, but Donald Trump has made it clear that his administration is largely indifferent to the fate of Europe. Most of the parties in the Czech Parliament expressed satisfaction with CDU/CSU's election victory. ANO Chair Andrej Babiš, who praised Merz, is clearly hoping that he will quickly improve the competitiveness of German industry, including that of Babiš's own SKW Piesteritz chemical company. "Deindustrialization" was the economic word of the year last year in Germany, and reversing the process won't be easy. If Merz can't do it, Czechs might find themselves in the unenviable position of having to seek more independence from both the U.S. and Germany at the same time.