Meeting of Olaf Scholz with the French Prime Minister Elizabeth Born – Rewarming of German-French relations and agreement on mutual coverage in natural gas and electricity –
The Chancellor of Germany Olaf Solz and the prime minister of France Elizabeth Bourne sealed the rewarming of Franco-German relations today after weeks of disagreements with an energy deal aimed at “guaranteing” their supply, with the German chancellor announcing a cap on gas and electricity prices for German consumers, the at the same time that Berlin is reacting to the overall ceiling on wholesale gas market prices from the European Union.
“The harder times get, the more important the cooperation between Germany and France becomes,” Scholz said at a joint press conference with Born.
The French prime minister, on her first visit to Berlin since taking office, spoke of “a unity that we must maintain” in the face of the numerous tilts facing the Franco-German axis.
The rewarming also led to the signing of an “energy solidarity agreement” between Paris and Berlin. This agreement provides that France will help Germany through the delivery of quantities of natural gas. Germany, for its part, will support its neighboring country by ensuring its supply of electricity.
“Friends support each other in evil,” summed up Scholz, while Bourne spoke of an “important text that will have concrete consequences and protect the citizens of both countries.”
From the middle of October France delivers natural gas to Germany which in turn can increase its power generation capacity as early as November (instead of January), which will allow it to send more electricity to Paris. With many nuclear power plants out of service, it is the first time in 42 years that France has needed to import electricity. For Germany this is also a historic turn, since the country usually bought natural gas from Russia.
Scholz also announced that the Cabinet approved the proposal submitted by the Minister of Economy Robert Hacker to contain the price of natural gas and electricity for households and businesses. Earlier, a spokesman said the German government hoped the bill, which would cap gas and electricity prices, would be approved by both houses of parliament in early December.
“We need to go further and limit gas price increases and implement structural reforms in the electricity market so that consumers pay prices that match the cost of production,” Bourne commented, adding: “The right response to this issue will be European and I am convinced that we will converge on this matter”.
As for the war in Ukrainethe two countries sought to present a united front, with the French prime minister declaring that Berlin and Paris would support Kyiv “until the end”.
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