The relationship between France and the Netherlands will be in the spotlight in just over two months. Emmanuel Macron will indeed make a state visit to this other European Union country on April 11 and 12, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Monday.
“It will be a unique opportunity to celebrate our friendship,” he said after a meeting with the Head of State in The Hague, ahead of the European summit on February 9 and 10.
Disagreement on the financing of the ecological transition
The two leaders also discussed at a press conference the European response to the massive American subsidy plan for green industries. Mark Rutte, opposed to the adoption of new European financing, above all insisted on the need to first resort to the means available. “There is a lot of money in Europe in the already existing pot”, whether it is the “annual budget” of the EU or the European recovery funds mobilized after the Covid-19 crisis, according to him.
Since his visit to Washington in early December, Emmanuel Macron has been maneuvering to convince the EU to adopt a strong response to the United States’ plan of 420 billion dollars for the ecological transition, which provides for generous credits for taxes and subsidies for renewable energies. Paris would like Europe to be on a level playing field.
“Until then there was a political silence on this issue. I put my feet in the dish by explaining that for us, it was a problem, ”noted the French president. But, faced with the opposition of so-called “frugal” countries, such as the Netherlands, he nevertheless conceded that it was necessary first to resort to the available funds. “Then we’ll see if we need new money.”