French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Germany for a three-day state visit on Sunday. This will be followed by a bilateral cabinet meeting as the European Union’s two biggest powers seek to show unity ahead of next month’s EU parliamentary elections.
Macron’s first presidential visit to Germany
Macron’s visit is the first French presidential state visit to Germany in 24 years. He will go to the capital Berlin, Dresden in the east and Muenster in the west. The visit will be watched as a checkup on the health of the German-French relationship that drives EU policymaking. This comes at a time of major challenges for Europe: from the Ukraine war to the possible election of Donald Trump as US president in November.
Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have very different leadership styles and have publicly clashed on issues from defence to nuclear energy. However, they have reached compromises on various fronts of late. This includes fiscal reform to changes to power market subsidies. This allows the EU to strike deals and put on a more united front.
Tensions in German-French relationship
Yann Wernert at the Jacques Delors Institute in Berlin says there have been tensions in the German-French relationship but “because they have dealt with some difficult topics.” He also noted the two countries had converged on the need to expand the EU eastwards.
Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group think tank said the visit was to show the relationship is working. “But there are still fundamental gaps on major questions that are looming over the EU.”
Differences in thinking
One gap is on European defence, especially if Trump wins the November elections. The former president said he would not protect Nato members from an attack by Russia. He added that he would encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want.”
France has pushed for a more self-reliant Europe on defence matters. It has been aggrieved by Germany’s decision to buy mostly American gear for its European Sky Shield Initiative air defence umbrella.
(REUTERS)
