According to Friedrich Merz, the energy crisis has increased his personal sensitivity to austerity measures. “You become much more attentive in such a situation and of course you also think: Where can you still save energy,” said the CDU chairman in an interview with the German Press Agency in Berlin. He added: “I have reduced the room temperature both in my Berlin apartment and in our house in Arnsberg and only heat rooms that are actually used.”
In his house in Sauerland there is a “Christmas tree with real candles – this alone naturally increases the room temperature,” said Merz. At Christmas he will visit his parents with his wife in the old people’s home. “Otherwise we celebrate quite normally and bourgeois at home with the family.” After Christmas he will “sleep in and, above all, read one or the other book”.
Four and a half months after breaking his collarbone while on vacation in Bavaria, Merz is still struggling with the consequences of the fall. As long as he has a flat tire on his left collarbone, “I’ll be very careful when cycling and skiing,” said the 67-year-old. “I can’t have another fall on my left shoulder now, and I just have to be very careful about that.”
When asked if the injury still hurts, Merz replied: “I can sleep well again. I can’t move freely, but I’m getting better.” The doctor predicted that it would take a year before the plate could be removed. “So: I have to be patient,” said the group leader.
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