New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a reset in French-German relations to help Europe overcome the "enormous" security and economic challenges it faced during his first trip abroad since taking office to top ally France on Wednesday.

Friedrich Merz plunged straight into international crises on his first full day as Germany’s new chancellor Merz urged India and Pakistan on Wednesday to de-escalate their tensions

While already planned, the trip comes only a day after Merz was elected chancellor by parliament on the second round of voting. His unprecedented failure to succeed on the first round underscored disunity in the coalition of his conservatives and Social Democrats.

The continent’s leaders are hoping to benefit as the Trump administration cuts support for research and threatens universities such as Harvard and Columbia with the freezing of federal funds.

The European Union and France on Monday (May 5) announced half a billion euros worth of incentives to lure scientists to the continent, seeking to profit from U.S. President Donald Trump's federal funding cuts and clashes with top U.

At the “Choose Europe for Science” conference, von der Leyen said the EC would invest $566 million over the next two years to “make Europe a magnet for researchers.”