Last dance for the French President and the German Chancellor. Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel will make a joint statement this Thursday at 7 p.m. before meeting around a working dinner, the Elysee said on Wednesday. This will be their last official meeting before the Chancellor steps down. The opportunity for the two leaders to stage Franco-German political proximity.
On the menu, a studious set of international subjects, “first and foremost Afghanistan”, announced Steffen Seibert, spokesperson for Angela Merkel. The consequences of the Taliban victory in Kabul remain one of the most pressing issues for Europeans, and therefore for Franco-German relations. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen notably announced on Wednesday that a defense summit would be organized by Paris during its EU presidency, while the withdrawal from Afghanistan has revived reflection on European autonomy. The creation of a European rapid reaction force of 5,000 soldiers has been under discussion for several months and the American withdrawal from Afghanistan has revived the debate by highlighting the military deficiencies of the old continent.
The summit between the EU and the Western Balkans on the program
The Elysee Palace also spoke on Wednesday “Iran, Libya, Ukraine, Belarus” but also “the major European challenges in terms of defense, asylum and migration, and climate and digital transition”.
The two leaders also want to prepare together for the summit between the European Union and the Western Balkans, in Ljubljana, on October 6 – a date on which it is likely that Angela Merkel’s successor will not be appointed -, and the future French presidency of the European Union, in the first half of 2022. This last meeting is all the more crucial for Emmanuel Macron as it will coincide with the electoral campaign in France and the presidential election on April 10 and 24, in which he will be a candidate, except for a huge surprise.
A complicated relationship at the start
Beyond these issues, the Chancellor’s invitation to Paris once again sheds light on the personal and working relationship between Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, which has evolved considerably since 2017. Initially, difficult to find many points common between a 67-year-old chancellor, brought up in the school of prudence, and a young president of 43 years who made boldness and movement into political markers. But over time, the two leaders have succeeded, according to many witnesses, in building a solid relationship of trust.
The French president has long encountered German reluctance to increase EU spending. Faced with the Covid, the two leaders were able to strengthen their ties to conclude an alliance leading in May 2020 to the proposal of a European recovery plan of 750 billion euros, largely financed by pooled European loans. They then worked together to wrest a historic agreement on this plan.
Emmanuel Macron has received in recent days at the Elysee the two favorites to succeed Angela Merkel in Berlin, the Social Democrat (SPD, center-left) Olaf Scholz and the Christian Democrat (CDU, center-right) Armin Laschet. On the side of Olaf Scholz, co-architect of the program of debt pooling and post-Covid European recovery, Paris can hope for less budgetary orthodoxy, especially if the Social Democrat governs with a majority firmly anchored on the left. If Armin Laschet wins, Berlin could keep its foot on the brake on spending and debt.