In the summer, President Macron had to cancel his state visit due to unrest at home. Now the first joint cabinet meeting in Hamburg is being overshadowed by the attack on Israel.
Germany and France have jointly assured Israel of their full solidarity after the major attack by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. “This attack by Hamas on Israel is terrible and it is barbaric,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the start of the first German-French cabinet meeting in Hamburg. He emphasized: “Terror will not win, hate will not win, violence will not triumph.” Germany and France are firmly on Israel’s side.
“I once again express my full and complete solidarity with Israel,” Macron also said. “The fight against terrorism is a common task that we will continue with Israel and our allies and international partners. Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it.”
After the two cabinets had dinner together, Scholz and Macron wanted to meet from the conference hotel with US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss the situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip. “The USA, Great Britain, France and Germany agree: it must not become a conflagration in the region,” emphasized Scholz. “That’s why no one should continue to fuel terror in this situation.” This will also be coordinated closely with partners in the region.
Scholz imagined it all differently
The Chancellor also said that he had actually imagined the start of this cabinet meeting to be different. The first such meeting was arranged to bring new impetus to German-French cooperation after significant discord last year. Now the exam is overshadowed by the war in Israel. The German-French solidarity will to some extent become a crisis meeting again.
Scholz chose a hotel on the Elbchaussee, in his hometown of Hamburg, not far from his apartment in Altona. The arrival of the two governments seemed quite spectacular. One after the other, the two VIP aircraft from Airbus, fully occupied by cabinet members and employees, landed at the aircraft manufacturer’s largest German site in Hamburg-Finkenwerder. The company is considered a role model for successful industrial cooperation between the two countries. Scholz and Macron’s wives, Britta Ernst and Brigitte Macron, were also there.
Harbor tour and fish sandwiches on the Elbe
The program for the two days of the exam includes a harbor tour, a dinner together and, on Tuesday, a walk by Scholz and Macron along the Elbe with a stop at a fish snack bar at a ferry pier. The content will include, among other things, industrial change, artificial intelligence, Europe’s technological sovereignty, EU enlargement and Africa policy.
After conflicts and discord increased between the two neighboring countries last year and the German-French axis stumbled, the two EU heavyweights have been trying to improve cooperation again since the beginning of the year. In January, Scholz and Macron invoked the friendship of both countries on the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty.
Macron’s state visit fell through in the summer
Macron’s state visit to Germany in the summer was supposed to be a further symbol of the move back towards greater harmony, but had to be postponed due to unrest in France. It will be rescheduled next year. At the working level, however, the exchange has noticeably intensified; French government members regularly come to Berlin and German members to France.
The Hamburg meeting as an informal closed meeting now also serves the purpose of bringing a new, positive dynamic into the relationship. So far there have been joint cabinet meetings once or twice a year. But there hasn’t been a two-day exam like this yet. Such meetings will now take place alternately in Germany and France every year.
Macron sees both countries as a driving force for Europe
“We see that our two nations have to work together,” said Macron at the start of the retreat. “I would even say that perhaps even more than before, we need to be a driving force together for our two countries and our Europe.” This requires pragmatism and efficiency. It’s about turning both countries and Europe into “a geopolitical, military, technological and economic power in an increasingly disrupted world.”
Scholz expressed himself a little more cautiously: “It is clear that we want a united, a strong, a sovereign Europe. A Europe that is also at the forefront of the world in terms of technology.”
Differences in energy and defense
The French are particularly hoping for progress on the controversial issue of reforming the electricity market, which the EU energy ministers will discuss in mid-October. The EU Commission made proposals for the reform in the spring. France wants to set the price for its nuclear power itself if necessary in order to supply its industry and population with cheap energy, as Macron recently made clear. Germany, in turn, is discussing a state-subsidized industrial electricity price.
Berlin and Paris are also not on the same page when it comes to defense and are taking different paths when it comes to air defense, for example. Macron insists on a European defense policy with the procurement of European – including French – armaments. Germany, on the other hand, also concludes large defense contracts with the USA and Israel. The exam will end on Tuesday with a joint press conference by Scholz and Macron.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
