Prime Minister Fiala meets with Chancellor Merz in Berlin to discuss mainly transport infrastructure
On Tuesday, 22 July 2025, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, met with the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Friedrich Merz, in Berlin. The leaders discussed the development of rail links between the two countries, strengthening defence cooperation, energy and tackling illegal migration. They also agreed on the need to continue their joint efforts in support of Ukraine. Prime Minister Fiala also praised Germany's significant contribution to our ammunition initiative.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed that Germany is our strategic partner with which we have strong economic and interpersonal ties. "I am happy to say that our relations are stronger than ever — based on trust, open dialogue and a shared interest in a stable and prosperous Europe. We share the same view on a number of key issues. The current international situation is not only a challenge for us, but also an opportunity for closer and more effective cooperation in many areas," said the Prime Minister.
The leaders discussed the need to complete the high-speed railway between the Czech Republic and Germany. "A few days ago, my government approved a draft agreement on the construction of the Krušnohorský Tunnel between the Czech Republic and Germany. I am pleased that the Chancellor assured me that the German Government was also going to greenlight the deal. The tunnel will become part of the new high-speed link between Prague and Dresden. Once completed, the journey from Prague to Berlin will take two hours instead of four hours as is the case now. The upgrade of the Prague-Munich/Nuremberg line is also crucial for us. Now, it takes six hours to get from Prague to Munich; we have to change that", said the Czech Prime Minister.
Defence cooperation and European security was an important topic of the talks. The Czech Prime Minister welcomed Germany's assumption of greater responsibility for the defence of Europe and said the Czech Republic intended to establish a close cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces. "The growth of our countries' direct defence spending opens up a number of new opportunities for expanding defence cooperation. Our joint investments in defence will strengthen the Czech and German defence industries, spark innovation, and enhance competitiveness. More opportunities may open up as a result of the acquisition of F-35 fighters by both our countries and, to an even greater extent, the joint purchase of German Leopard tanks with significant involvement of the Czech industry. We want Czech companies to be involved in the production of all Leopard tanks, not just the ones we will be buying for the Czech army." said Prime Minister Fiala.
The leaders agreed that together the two countries must continue to support Ukraine. "The main task is to ensure a continuous supply of military equipment to make it possible for Ukraine to defend itself. I very much appreciate Germany's significant contribution to our ammunition initiative. We also want to cooperate with Germany to strengthen Ukraine's air defence, especially against drones, which the Russians use to terrorise the civilian population," the Prime Minister said.
