German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is suspected of plagiarism in his 2002 book “Mut zur Zukunft. Wie Deutschland wieder an die Spitze kommt” ("Courage for the Future. How Germany Can Regain Its Leading Position"), according to the Berliner Zeitung.

Austrian plagiarism expert Stefan Weber submitted a 22-page report to the newspaper, in which he analyzed the book and identified 25 passages that allegedly violate citation rules “in the form of textual plagiarism.”

Weber named several individuals whose work Merz is suspected of copying without proper attribution. These include lobbyist Friedrich von Heusinger, journalist Martin Spiewak, economist Burkhard Wehner, and former Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber.

According to Berliner Zeitung, the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) has not yet responded to a request for comment on Weber’s findings.