During a lunch at the Elysee, the two leaders aspire to “strengthen Franco-German cooperation”, to arrive at a response to common challenges in a “united and solidarity manner”, the services of the French presidency summarized yesterday Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are trying today to reinvigorate the Franco-German axis, which has been weighed down by many disagreements over issues from energy to defense against the background of the war in Ukraine.
During a lunch at the Elysee, the two leaders aspire to “strengthen Franco-German cooperation”, to arrive at a response to common challenges in a “united and solidarity manner”, the services of the French presidency summarized yesterday Tuesday.
But it can barely cover the sometimes simmering differences between Europe’s two biggest economic powers, which led to the postponement for weeks of the joint Franco-German cabinet, which would have been Olaf Soltz’s first – to be held in Fontainebleau today.
During the appearance of the chancellor, at noon (local time; 13:00 Greek time), for the lunch they are scheduled to have around 12:35 (13:35) there will be no statements from the leaders to the press – not even before, nor after, according to the program published by the Élysée last night, although the chancellery had announced the exact opposite, as noted by the Politico news site.
On issues from how to deal with soaring energy prices to nuclear power and the European defense industry, Paris and Berlin now seem unable to agree. Something that causes concern in Europe: after all, the Franco-German axis was and remains the force that pushes the European Union.
“The Franco-German couple disagrees”, and thus they are “paralysed”, the former French Prime Minister and former Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin stated a few days ago, without hiding his concern.
“We cannot allow at this moment in history not to have a united and strong Europe” and that “starts with a fruitful Franco-German dialogue,” he warned on Friday, speaking to the France Inter radio network.
The two sides’ disagreements – over various theoretical joint industrial projects, from the European next-generation fighter jet to the European main battle tank of the future – deepened after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
“Marriage of Necessity”
Germany, which is among the states most affected by its dependence on Russian gas, is proceeding with “a change of model, the destabilizing nature of which should not be underestimated”, Emmanuel Macron stated a few days ago.
Chancellor Solz announced a plan to support households and businesses amounting to 200 billion euros, in the face of the take-off of energy prices, especially gas, after the interruption of deliveries imposed on him by Russia during Berlin.
This package, which was presented without any prior coordination with Germany’s European partners, caused reactions, confusion, statements about distortion of competition in Europe.
Moreover, after decades of neglect, Germany has made a 180° turn on defense, now has a declared goal of making its army “the best equipped in Europe”.
And in this field, without providing for the strengthening of European strategic autonomy for which Paris constantly argues, even less strengthening of Franco-German military-industrial cooperation.
Berlin wants to create a European anti-missile shield with an Israeli component, an idea competing with the one proposed by Paris and Rome.
For many observers, the disagreements are a consequence of the clash of national and European interests, but they do not necessarily invalidate anything.
“The reality is that this is a marriage of convenience”, said a French diplomatic source, assuring that the two countries are not facing any “fundamental crisis”, the relationship is simply “at the bottom”.
“Coordination of Efforts”
“Macron and Merkel exchanged text messages every day, but I don’t think they (Mr. Macron and Soltz) talk every day,” according to the same source.
On Europe, the two leaders have “several differences”, although the chancellor barely mentioned France in his speech in Prague on the European Union in late August, they note in Paris.
Mr Solz pledged in that speech to support the enlargement of the EU to the east, towards an EU of “30 or 36 members”, a much more voluntarist approach than that of France.
However, like Paris, he was in favor of establishing the principle of the relative majority (instead of this unanimity) for several types of decisions of the European Union, from foreign policy to fiscal and tax policy.
In Berlin, they prefer to downplay the problem. “France is our closest ally. In the last few days there has been a lot of scenario building, but I also think that a lot of things were completely made up”, according to the opinion of a representative of the German government.
They want to believe the same in Brussels. “I believe in the determination of both the French president and the German chancellor” to “work together”, assures the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
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