The new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, newly elected pain, and Emmanuel Macron published on Wednesday, May 7, his desire to “respond together to the challenges facing Europe” giving a “new beginning” to the bilateral relationship.
During a common press conference at the Elysée, the French president announced the establishment of a “Franco-German Defense and Security Council.” A way to institutionalize meetings held in a disparate and informal way on the subject, especially from the hostility published by Donald Trump and his administration with respect to Europe in the middle of the war in Ukraine.
“We are going to accelerate our Franco-German program, develop new capacities and beyond tanks, combat planes and long-range missiles, we will establish a Franco-German defense and security council,” said the tenant of Elysée.
This Council “will meet regularly to provide operational responses to our common strategic challenges,” he said, taking the expression of “strategic alarm for European defense.”
“A new beginning for Europe”
Emmanuel Macron also praised the “historical decision taken by Germany (…) to spend massively in defense.” A Franco-German Ministers should also in the summer, the desire for general recovery of bilateral cooperation and coordination.
Until now, causing defense and Ukraine problems, Germany has opened the door to participate in a possible European reinsurance force in Ukraine or other security guarantees. While conditioning this participation in “a peace agreement” and an American participation in the “process.”
The new chancellor, for his first official visit abroad, also confirmed that he wanted to initiate discussions with Paris and London, the only two nuclear powers in Europe, in nuclear deterrence. He had already said that he was in favor of placing his country, so far depending on American nuclear protection, under the French and British umbrella. This is a great break with the tradition of the German Atlantic.
“We have agreed with a new beginning for Europe,” said Friedrich Merz chose the previous day, emphasizing that the Franco-German association was not always “obvious” despite a constantly quiet will in this regard.
“We have a particular responsibility for Europe. We will work together for a better common future,” he said, promising “decisive impulses” for European construction.
In addition to defense, difference points
After Managon’s years under the era of Olaf Scholz and six months of internal political crisis, Paris founded great hopes in Friedrich Merz, who speaks openly of strengthening European sovereignty, including the military.
However, other differences should not disappear during the night. The new chancellor, whose country is exporting strongly, asked the states of the European Union to “rapid” ratify the free trade agreement between the EU and the countries of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay), to which France opposes, for fear of an agricultural deep.
“We will find agreements that allow the correct preservation of working conditions, equity for our producers,” said the French president.
Another point of divergence, Berlin certainly softened his rule of “stop debt”, which limits the country’s indebtedness capacity for military expenses and for regions, but is not ready to give green light to Euro-company companies, promoted by Paris.
After the French capital, Friedrich Merz must go to Warsaw this Wednesday, where he also hopes to relaunch relations with suffering, then in Brussels on Friday.
Source: BFM TV
