So Europe needs to be competitive and we also need to be competitive if we wish to remain an interesting economic partner for the United States. This has to be done on the basis of strength, of competitiveness.

In this remark Merkel frames the transatlantic relationship in explicitly economic terms: Europe’s influence with the United States depends not on sentiment or historical ties alone, but on demonstrable economic “strength” and “competitiveness.” The repetition underscores a policy premise associated with her chancellorship—fiscal discipline, structural reform, and export capacity as foundations of political leverage. The quote also implies a competitive global environment in which partners are chosen for their economic dynamism; to remain “interesting,” Europe must innovate, grow, and maintain productive capacity. It thus links European integration and domestic reform agendas to geopolitical relevance, suggesting that economic performance is a prerequisite for strategic autonomy and credible partnership.