First Paris, then Warsaw: First Chancellor’s trip: Restart in Paris – Trouble in Warsaw

An intimate hug in Paris, but trouble about migration policy in Warsaw: the first inaugural visits by the new Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Poland and in France have been very different. With the French President Emmanuel Macron, the CDU boss agreed to a “restart” of the relationships between the two countries for a stronger Europe. For this, there should be new conversation formats and a work program.

In Poland, on the other hand, Merz met with his plan to expand the border controls and reject asylum seekers, to massive resistance from Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “Germany will let it go to its area. Whoever it wants. Poland will only let him in his area,” said Tusk at a press conference with Merz.

Tusk sees “no sense” in tightened border controls

Poland’s head of government also rejected the project of Merz to tighten the controls on the German-Polish border. “If someone introduces control on the Polish border, Poland will also introduce such control. And in the long run, it simply makes no sense.”

Merz agreed to protect the EU’s outer border

Merz agreed to Poland to secure the EU external borders. He assumes that “good solutions” will come on this question. At the same time, Merz urged a common European solution to limit illegal migration.

In the election campaign, he had announced rejections at the borders from the first day of his reign. The coalition agreement states that these should be made in coordination with the neighboring countries. Poland, which is currently in the hot phase of the presidential election campaign, is now massive.

Macron speaks of the “Franco-German reflex”

Merz had left his first trip abroad just 17 hours after the tremor in the Chancellor’s election and his took office. On the plane to Paris, he spoke of a “restart” with both countries.

In Paris, everything was very harmonious with Macron. Humanding on the left and right to greet, violent back tapes and then both went into the Elysée Palace in arm. “We will give the Franco-German friendship a new momentum and we will further deepen our cooperation at all levels,” said Merz a little later at a joint press conference.

Macron spoke of the “Franco-German reflex”, which both countries wanted to reintroduce everywhere. “We want action to be built up systematically. We want to tackle the challenges that Europe faces.

It didn’t go between Scholz and Macron

There is a lot to catch up in the German-French relationship. Between Macron and Merz ‘predecessor Olaf Scholz (SPD), despite all the attempts in Paris restaurants and at the fish roll on the Hamburg Elbe. The Francophile Merz has decided to kitten. He met Macron several times before his election as Chancellor. You get along. This also becomes clear at the press conference.

While Scholz and also Chancellor Angela Merkel have had Macron’s advances for more sovereignty since a much -noticed speech at the Paris University of Sorbonne 2017, Merz wants to pull together with the French president. The best example is a common European nuclear deterrent based on French nuclear weapons. Scholz didn’t want to know anything about it. Merz wants to talk about it now.

“I see the fundamental necessity that we will discuss the question of France and also with Great Britain about how we can give such an answer to the deterrent together in the future,” said the CDU politician. He added this as a supplement to the American’s atomic shield, he added. For his part, Macron spoke of an acceleration of the Franco-German armaments programs and regular consultations by the Franco-German defense and security council.

Merz was cautious about a German contribution to securing a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. “Before there was no permanent ceasefire and such an agreement with Russia, we cannot provide any information about the scope of the security guarantees that we give Ukraine because we simply do not know the conditions,” said the CDU boss. France was pretended with Great Britain on the subject and had signaled the willingness to send a peace agreement to Ukraine together with allied troops to secure a peace agreement.

Foreign Minister WadePhul in Paris and Warsaw

The Chancellor was accompanied in Paris and Warsaw by Foreign Minister Johann WadePhul (CDU) – a sign of the claim of a new foreign policy from a single source. At the time of the traffic light government, this was not always the case, especially in Ukraine policy. For the first time in almost 60 years, Chancellor and Foreign Minister have now belonged to the same party. It has been common since the 1960s that the chief diplomats were provided by the smaller coalition partners.