French, German leaders meet in Paris amid disagreements on EU strategy

New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris on Wednesday, amid disagreements between the two neighbours and key European Union allies on EU strategy, defence, and economic policies. Macron and Scholz were meeting for a working lunch at the Elysee presidential palace to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Scholz's visit, according to French government spokesman Olivier Veran, demonstrates both countries' ability to “sometimes to be able to get over difficulties ... When the priorities of one country do not necessarily converge with the priorities of the other.” “The strength of the French-German couple is to always be able to get along together and move Europe forward,” he added.

A joint French-German Cabinet meeting had been planned as well, but it was postponed until January. Both the French and German governments stated that more work is needed to reach an agreement on some bilateral issues. Divergences between France and Germany are not uncommon. The countries, which house the eurozone's largest economies, are accustomed to taking opposing positions on defence, energy, and other issues. “My wish has always been to preserve European unity and also the friendship and the alliance between France and Germany,” Macron said last week in Brussels before an EU meeting. “I think it's not good for Germany nor for Europe that it isolates itself,” he added.

Also Read: Rishi Sunak brings back Indian-origin Suella Braverman as Home Secretary; here's a look at his cabinet

Asked on Friday about the apparent tensions, Scholz said that cooperation with France is ‘very intensive’ and stressed that he holds frequent meetings with Macron. “There are questions on which we have common points of view and drive things forward,” he said. “You can see, for example, that it is Germany and France who repeatedly look at how we can achieve progress to support Ukraine.” “There are also questions that we are discussing, that in some cases have been under debate for years and need to be pushed forward,” Scholz said. French-German government meetings are usually held at least once a year to coordinate policies. The last one was held in May 2021 via videoconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also Read: Joe Biden’s BIG warning to Russia: ‘Nuclear attack on Ukraine would be incredibly serious mistake’

(With agencies' inputs)