German Chancellor Friedrich Merz  Wednesday called for "bold" action by the European Union to reverse a quarter century of industrial "decline" and compete with the United States and China. "Only an economically powerful Europe will be a sovereign Europe," Merz told industry chiefs gathered in the Belgian port city of Antwerp. European leaders are set to discuss a number of questions to fortify the continent's competitiveness in talks over the course of two days, with the meeting in Antwerp