Can Macron restore power to the "French German engine"?, French President Visits Germany for the First Time in 23 Years | Europe | Macron
According to French media reports, French President Macron will conduct a state visit to Germany from July 2nd to 4th, marking the first state visit by a French president to Germany in 23 years.
The cooperation between France and Germany, which are regarded as the "dual engines" of the European Union, is crucial for the development of the EU, but the two countries have been experiencing frequent friction and obstacles in recent times. There is still a series of uncertainties regarding whether both sides can use this visit as an opportunity to ease conflicts, bridge differences, and achieve a "warming up" of the relationship.
Intentionally easing conflicts
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Elysee by France and Germany. This treaty is a symbol of comprehensive reconciliation between the two countries after World War II, setting out the exchange mechanism and framework structure between the two countries, laying the foundation for the establishment of the "Franco German Axis" of European integration. In January of this year, French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz jointly chaired a joint cabinet meeting in Paris to discuss issues such as cooperation between the two countries, European strategic autonomy, and European integration in the context of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Elysee. This Macron's state visit to Germany further demonstrates that both France and Germany hope to open a new chapter in the traditional friendship between the two countries.
However, there have been numerous conflicts between France and Germany recently. There are differences between the two sides, from nuclear energy to carbon emissions, from European electricity market reforms to relations with the United States. Especially since the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, the two countries have different attitudes towards European defense, and the conflict has further deepened, causing damage to the "engine" of the European Union.
According to a commentary by Agence France Presse, both in terms of symbolic significance and practical considerations, France and Germany need to ease conflicts, bridge differences, and restart the "dual engine" of France and Germany. Therefore, the focus of Macron's visit this time is to coordinate positions with the German side on a series of important issues, including discussing Moldova and Ukraine's accession to the European Union and Ukraine's accession to NATO, and jointly formulating a roadmap for the development of artificial intelligence with the German side. Macron will also visit the Institute of Photonic Microsystems located in Dresden, Germany.
Eric Andre Martin, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, said that both France and Germany had carefully designed Macron's journey to repair relations. Macron will meet with the German President in Ludwigsburg, attend a state banquet hosted by the German side for him, and also attend the European Youth Day in Dresden. He will give a speech at a church in Germany and plans to memorize a part of it in German. He has also hired a language teacher to improve his pronunciation.
The future is yet to be observed
French public opinion believes that although Macron can sign some cooperation projects through this visit to Germany, many conflicts between the two countries are difficult to resolve, and the prospects of Franco German relations still need to be observed.
French media pointed out that since taking office as German Chancellor in December 2021, Scholz's relationship with Macron has been "very complex". France and Germany have significant differences on a series of issues such as energy and defense.
On the energy issue, as European energy prices continue to rise, the German government announced at the end of September last year that it will invest 200 billion euros to stabilize energy prices through government subsidies and other means, helping its residents and businesses pay their energy bills. Macron criticized Germany for taking its own actions without prior consultation with other EU countries, and warned that the German government's subsidy program may "distort" the European market.
In addition, France has been pushing the European Union to set a natural gas price cap due to power shortages caused by the shutdown of some of its nuclear power plants. But Germany opposes this and advocates responding to the energy crisis through joint procurement, reduced consumption, and increased supply. However, France's opposition to the restart of the Catalonia Central Gas Pipeline project, which entered Germany through France from Spain, has also caused dissatisfaction from the German side.
In terms of defense, the German government announced in March last year its plan to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States, which caused dissatisfaction from the French side. The French government has been actively promoting the joint development of a new generation European fighter jet project with Germany, fearing that the project may be seriously affected by the German side's actions. In addition, Germany hopes to use the existing anti missile system technologies of Israel and the United States, while France insists on developing its own European system based on the systems of France and Italy. These all reflect the debate between France and Germany over whether to choose the path of "strategic autonomy" or "relying on the United States" in the field of defense.
Martin believes that the Ukrainian crisis has "exposed shortcomings that Berlin and Paris are unwilling to acknowledge", and that Franco German cooperation and EU policies cannot meet the current challenges. "Macron's increasingly public commitment to let Ukraine join NATO has shocked the German government. Germany has repeatedly stated that it is not appropriate to discuss Ukraine's accession during the conflict."
Analysts here point out that after Brexit, the role of France and Germany in the European Union has become more important. If the conflict between France and Germany continues to widen, it will not only weaken European unity, but also cause the two countries to lose their leadership over Europe, which is something neither side wants to see. So, both France and Germany hope to communicate and compromise through this visit, in order to bridge their differences as much as possible. However, the fundamental differences between the two countries in energy, defense, and other areas related to European survival and development are fundamental. Whether the two sides can adopt the strategic framework of signing the Treaty of Elysee 60 years ago to solve the problem remains to be further observed.
