The new German chancellor and the head of the Elysee strengthen ties and warn Russia of the “inviolability of the Ukrainian border”
Following tradition, Olaf Scholz chose, like his predecessors in office, Paris as the destination for his first trip as German chancellor abroad, before visiting Brussels, the headquarters of the European institutions. A way of showing the importance that Berlin gives to its relationship with the Gallic country and relaunching the Franco-German engine, key in European construction.
The departure of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was in power for 16 years, leaves a gap in Europe that Macron and Scholz want to quickly fill in a year that will be key for both countries. France will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2022 and Germany will hold the presidency of the G7 next year.
“This visit is a very important moment to build a solid basis for cooperation between our two countries, both for the bilateral relationship, and to address European issues and major international issues on which we wish to coordinate,” Macron said at a joint press conference. after having lunch with Scholz at the Elysee Palace.
The Gallic head of state was convinced that, after Scholz’s arrival at the German Chancellery, Paris and Berlin will continue to maintain “close coordination” in Europe and on the international board. There is between them “a solid convergence of views” and “a willingness to work together,” according to the French president.
Scholz, for his part, expressed his desire to “strengthen Europe in all its dimensions: economic, security and foreign policy questions.” “We must act, work together,” added the new head of the German government.
The two leaders also addressed the situation in Ukraine and their tensions with Russia. They underlined “the inviolability of the Ukrainian border” and defended the validity of the “Normadian format”, that is, the dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by France and Germany. Paris and Berlin are seeking initiatives to “defuse tensions” and “open the prospect of a lasting solution” to the conflict in Ukraine’s Donbass region.
Macron also spoke on Friday by phone with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and plans to do so “in the coming days” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Macron and Zelenski will meet on December 15 in Brussels on the sidelines of the European Union summit with their partners from the eastern partnership, the Elysee Palace announced.
The Macron-Scholz meeting took place a day after Macron presented the priorities of the French presidency of the European Union. Paris wants, among other things, to reform the Schengen area to better protect the external borders of the community club and to launch a white paper on Defense and Security.
The next goals
France also proposes to ‘rethink’ the EU budgetary framework, now governed by the rigid Maastricht criteria, which establishes, among other things, that a country’s annual budget deficit must not exceed 3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) .
Macron believes that the EU has to have three goals. «Maintain growth and aim for full employment; build innovation subsidiaries that allow you to have a greener and more digital economy; and continue the work of convergence between the Member States that have the single currency “, added the head of the Elysee, who considers that it is necessary” to find mechanisms, either with flexibility or with new rules, that allow compliance with them. ”
Scholz, for his part, considers that growth and sound public finances “are not incompatible.” “It is about maintaining the growth that has been engendered by the recovery pact. At the same time, we must work on the soundness of our finances. It is not contradictory. For me they are the two faces of the same effort “, stressed the chancellor.
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