The race to lead Germany is diverting through Switzerland, with a campaigning push in Davos set to showcase competing visions for how to revive Europe’s biggest economy.

On the first day of this year’s Davos, three Greenpeace campaigners evaded the tight security checks to scale a balcony in the main congress centre and unfurl a banner saying: “Tax the super-rich”. Activists had earlier blocked the Davos heliport.

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become chancellor after Germany’s snap election next month, will take his campaign pitch to the World Economic Forum next week.

At the World Economic Forum, much of the global corporate elite is responding with surprising optimism to the new president’s radical and hyperactive agenda.

President Donald Trump has given everyone at Davos something to talk about with his actions on the first day of his second term.

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, tipped to become the next chancellor, said on Thursday he wanted to win back the lost trust of key allies and ensure Berlin is more assertive on the global stage in a speech laying out his foreign policy plans.

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz outlines plans to restore trust with key allies and enhance Germany's assertiveness globally. His vision includes better coordination of national security and reforming Europe's military procurement.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen declared Tuesday that Europe was ready to negotiate with US President Donald Trump but the bloc will also seek to improve ties with China and other nations as global competition heats up.

Perhaps it struck a chord because Fritz is not just a nickname for Friedrich but also for a stereotypical German person – and Merz’s stiff public demeanour very much makes him a 'Fritz'.

President Volodymyr Zelensky separately met with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz and Israeli President Isaac Herzog on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22.

Von der Leyen insisted that the United States remains an important partner, taking a conciliatory tone in a speech to the annual meeting of global elites in Davos, Switzerland. The EU's "first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests, and be ready to negotiate" with Trump, she said.