Clemens Graf von Hoyos, head of the German Knigge Society, has praised Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his good manners. In an interview with the Rheinische Post, he emphasized Merz's firm grasp of formal etiquette. He also spoke positively about the chancellor's ties featuring animal prints.
Clemens Graf von Hoyos, chairman of the German Knigge Society, praised Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his manners in an interview with the Rheinische Post on Saturday. The 70-year-old Merz, born in Brilon in the Sauerland region, appears "absolutely firm" in formal etiquette, Hoyos said. This stems from his professional background: Merz previously worked as a judge and lawyer, served on supervisory boards of numerous companies, and led the German branch of the US investment firm BlackRock. "That also has to do with his professional past, where great emphasis was surely placed on extremely smooth manners. Though people also need edges and corners to be remembered. He has those," Hoyos stated.
The etiquette expert was particularly approving of Merz's preference for ties with animal motifs, often seen at public appearances. "I like them, as long as the elephant has its trunk raised and not hanging down. As long as the animals, from the viewer's perspective, look to the right, so it looks like forward movement and not backward, I'm in," Hoyos explained.
However, Hoyos criticized the general trend in the Bundestag. Debates have become "louder, more emotional, and more oriented toward performance." "In the end, it's all about the clips on the net," he said. Good behavior is suffering as a result. "Good manners are a matter of noble restraint, impulse control, and composure. In other words: We need more composure in parliament. That's exactly what I miss," the Knigge expert emphasized.
