Scholz and Macron vowed Franco-German friendship

French President Emmanuel Macron said at a ceremony at Paris’ Sorbonne University on Sunday that Germany and France were like “two souls in one breast” for him. “For a Frenchman to speak about Germany means to speak about a part of oneself,” Macron said in front of more than 30 ministers from both governments and around 200 parliamentarians. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz thanked the “French brothers and sisters” in French for their friendship. He regarded the differences of opinion between the two countries as normal in such close cooperation. “The Franco-German engine is a compromise machine – well oiled, but sometimes loud and marked by hard work,” said Scholz. “He doesn’t get his drive from sweet cuddles and empty symbolism. But from our firm will to repeatedly convert controversies and differences of interest into aligned actions.”

More self-confidence in the EU

Scholz and Macron called for a more self-confident role for the EU in the world. “We may be facing an even greater turning point. A turning point towards a multipolar world that we cannot face by retreating into the national snail shell,” said Scholz. One can no longer afford “a small, despondent Europe” that indulges in national egoism and opens up rifts between East and West, North and South. Both underlined to strong applause that the EU would continue to support Ukraine against the Russian aggressor. “Putin’s imperialism will not win,” said Scholz.

The cabinets and parliaments of both countries came together in Paris to celebrate the anniversary. Macron demanded that Germany and France should be pioneers in the reestablishment of Europe. He pointed out that at a meeting in Versailles last March, the EU had already resolved to reduce strategic dependencies in the areas of energy, the military and food. But there is still a lot to do. The German chancellor referred to the necessary expansion of the EU and the need to reduce the right to veto decisions within the Union.

Macron and Scholz also mentioned the European recovery fund with a volume of 750 billion euros, which had been agreed to overcome the consequences of the corona pandemic. With a view to the French call for a new solidarity fund to be added, the French President added that the EU was responsible “for our decisions that we make and our decisions that we don’t make”. Scholz has reservations about a new fund and only a few days ago pointed out that only 20 percent of the amount in the solidarity fund had been paid out at all.

reconciliation between the two countries

The reconciliation between the two countries after the Second World War was praised in several speeches at a ceremony at the Sorbonne University in Paris. A few days ago in Berlin, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned that two countries wanted to lead the EU.

The Franco-German Council of Ministers was actually supposed to take place last autumn, but had been postponed. The meeting of the Franco-German Council of Ministers was surprisingly canceled in October. The German side justified this with the ongoing need for coordination. At the time, it was said from the Élysée Palace that the important issues of defense and energy had to be discussed further.

Germany has only agreed to meet the entire cabinets of both countries with France. With the exception of Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, the entire cabinet had flown to Paris.