Defending democracy, celebrating Franco-German friendship and supporting Ukraine were the main messages of the French and German presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Franck-Walter Steinmeier, on Sunday in Berlin.
Two weeks before the European elections, both urged their fellow citizens to vote in the name of defending a democracy that Emmanuel Macron sees as threatened by nationalists. “There is a form of fascination with authoritarianism that occurs in our democracies”, he said shortly after arriving in the capital. “We allow nationalists and often enemies of democracy to extract all dividends from democracy and criticize it existentially..
The French president and his wife Brigitte began a three-day state visit to Germany, the first French president in 24 years, which, after Berlin, will take them to Dresden and Münster. It is an opportunity to review the relationship between Europe’s two major economic powers as the continent faces the challenges of climate change, the war in Ukraine and the possible re-election of Donald Trump to the White House in November. “We don’t know what this year has in store for us. But I am sure that if France and Germany are united, if there is trust and the will to cooperate between Berlin and Paris, we will overcome this period and other difficult times at this moment in Europe.”said Frank-Walter Steinmeier alongside his host at Bellevue Palace.
French-German couple “is one”said Emmanuel Macron. “He is neither old nor young, he is alive, demanding and ambitious for our two countries, for our Europe.” The two presidents recalled Europe’s support for Ukraine, which is in difficulties on the ground in the face of Russia, which invaded its territory in early 2022. “Today, being on the side of peace means giving strength to the law“, said Emmanuel Macron.Peace is not surrender”. The French head of state was then due to go to the Brandenburg Gate together with the mayor-governor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, before the state dinner.
Since German Chancellor Olaf Scholz came to power in 2021, Paris and Berlin have openly clashed over issues ranging from defense to nuclear energy. Recently, however, compromises were found, especially with regard to subsidies to the electricity market.
European defense
This state visit is “an attempt at the highest political level to show that the relationship works”, notes Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia think tank. “But there are still fundamental gaps in the big issues facing the EU“.
One of the key issues concerns the defense strategy of the European Union, especially in the case of the new presidential mandate of Donald Trump, who is considered an unreliable ally in Europe. France, a nuclear power unlike Germany, is pushing for a more autonomous Europe in terms of defense. Germany, for its part, believes that there is no credible alternative to the American military shield. The two countries will also try to agree on a five-year European agenda, and the breakthrough of the extreme right is expected during the European elections in early June.
On Monday, Emmanuel Macron travels to Dresden, in the east of the country, where he is scheduled to give a speech in front of the Notre-Dame church, Frauenkirche, which was destroyed by the Allies during World War II. He will then travel to Münster in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday. The highlight of the visit should be, on Tuesday in Meseberg, the Franco-German Council of Ministers, followed by the Defense and Security Council. An opportunity to try to find a common language around the two main points of contention: defense and competitiveness.