Clue: Having three refusals from Merkel, called phone number (4-4-4)
Answer: NINE NINE NINE
Explanation: Definition: phone number
Sounds like ('called') NEIN NEIN NEIN ('three refusals from Merkel'). The emergency phone number equivalent to 911 in the USA, or 111 in New Zealand (to acknowledge our faithful followers), or so on.