French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are meeting this Sunday in Paris on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the reconciliation treaty between the two countries and after several months of postponement due to certain disagreements on «key issues» of European policy, in particular on defense and energy.
The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. with an Elysée Treaty ceremony at the Sorbonne University, at the start of the 23rd Franco-German Council of Ministers, which will bring together the heads of the main portfolios of the two countries, before a joint declaration in the afternoon, during which a Franco-German commentary on their prospects for the future of Europe is expected.
Paris has advanced that it does not expect substantial announcements in this regard or on the Ukrainian war, the dominant theme of the talks, and in particular the German reluctance to supply tanks to Kiev.
On the economic side, both countries will send a message of cooperation on the supply chain, the transition to a sustainable economy and a possible reaction to the US Inflation Reduction Act, which could put Europe at a competitive disadvantage.
Both sides have emphasized that Franco-German relations are characterized by the search for common ground and close bilateral cooperation on such specific issues as youth professionalization, hence the first participants of the newly created «Generation Europe» network for young German and French professionals will be presented.
Prior to the meeting, Scholz and Macron emphasized their desire to strengthen Europe in a guest article for the German newspaper ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’, in which they highlighted key points for a sovereign Europe in which people can live in peace, prosperity and freedom.
«For a strong Europe of tomorrow, we must now invest more in our armed forces and in the foundations of our defense industry,» the chancellor and the president wrote. This, they said, will improve defense capabilities and make Europe a stronger partner for the United States as well.
«We will strongly advocate an ambitious strategy to promote the competitiveness of European industry and a European environment that fosters competition and innovation,» Scholz and Macron added, without directly addressing the disadvantages for Europe feared by the new U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
Both leaders also stressed that they are striving for rapid and concrete progress in the EU enlargement process.
«We must ensure that an enlarged European Union remains capable of action, with more efficient institutions and faster decision-making processes, in particular by extending qualified majority voting in the council,» the two leaders wrote, in specific reference to the Western Balkan countries, most of which are at different stages of the long process to join the European Union.
To become the world’s first carbon-neutral continent, they added, there must be a focus on renewable, low-carbon energy and the use of hydrogen. «We will work on a better functioning electricity market and participate in joint gas purchasing at the European level,» they reiterated.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
