Press
Before Emmanuel Macron’s state visit, the mood between France and Germany is at rock bottom. A chronicle of alienation; with the euro crisis, Ukraine, Merkel and Trump.
Berlin/Paris – Shortly before his trip to Germany, hardly anyone in Paris or the country cares about Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Berlin. Macron is 17,000 kilometers away and has to manage domestic crises in New Caledonia. There is political unrest on the French island that requires the attention of the president and the population. The fact that the French media are devoting themselves to other things than relations with Germany and Scholz in particular is likely to make some people in Berlin breathe a sigh of relief. Because positive words for the policies of the German neighbor are becoming increasingly rare.
Germany and France: “Countries have become alienated”
“The countries have become somewhat alienated from each other and are still in the process of becoming more alienated,” says Jakob Ross, an expert on German-French relations at the German Council on Foreign Relations. He has been observing the relationship between the two countries for years and knows that although the relationship status is currently considered complicated, the situation was very different just a few years ago.
Beginning with the Élysée Treaty signed in 1963 by Charles De Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer (CDU), the Franco-German friendship was consolidated and strengthened over decades. The countries became close partners, and the cooperation shaped the EU and its current form.
Merkel and Macron had the same vision of Europe
The friendship suffered its first setback in recent history during the euro crisis in 2009. Nicolas Sarkozy was in power in Paris, replaced by François Hollande in 2012. The German Chancellor was Angela Merkel (CDU), and many other heads of state felt that she was pursuing an austerity policy that was too strict. “That was a major blow, including in the way people dealt with each other. Merkel was seen as a disciplinarian in France and the French came to terms with her to some extent,” says political expert Ross.
The situation changed completely when Macron took office in 2017, says Ross. “The working relationship and trust between Merkel and Macron changed. Both had a common vision of where Europe should go – less dependence on the USA, towards a more independent Europe.” The shared vision arose not least from Merkel’s visit to the then US President Donald TrumpSince Trump, many Europeans believe that the USA can no longer be relied upon as their most important partner.
Since Scholz became Chancellor, the relationship has deteriorated
This is also why Germany and France agreed on the Aachen Cooperation Treaty in 2019, which was intended to intensify cooperation between the countries on a political, economic and cultural level. During the good relationship between the heads of government in Paris and Berlin, Olaf Scholz was finance minister before becoming the new chancellor. The end of Merkel’s government in 2021 should also seal the relationship between the two countries, which has been deteriorating since then, says France expert Ross. “The French had originally placed great hopes in Scholz.”
It is now clear that these hopes were in vain from Paris’s perspective.”Since Scholz became Chancellor, the compromise between Merkel and Macron has broken down to some extentThe shared vision has been lost.” This is mainly due to the German position, which has changed significantly under Scholz and the traffic light coalition, says Ross. “Since the Ukraine war, no one in Germany believes that they can survive without the USA. With regard to Ukraine, that is also true,” says the expert. “But the French have historically been convinced, and even more so since 2017 – since Trump – that the USA wants to move away from Europe and wants to make provisions for the EU accordingly.”
Independent Europe or closer ties with the USA?
Scholz has broken with Macron and Merkel’s line and has since been trying to strengthen closer ties with the USA. According to Ross, this is causing frustration among the left-bank neighbours: “In France, there are some who have already written off the Scholz issue and are putting their faith in the CDU and Friedrich Merz.”
According to experts, it is difficult to predict how the relationship between the two countries will develop in the future. Elections in Germany and France are completely open, as are those in the USA. But it is already clear that the low point of the recent friendship between the two nations is not only visible on a political level. According to France expert Ross, a change is currently taking place in civil society, and supporters of the German-French friendship from the very beginning, such as Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU), are leaving and retiring from important positions.
In addition, Germany’s cultural interest in France is also decreasing. “This is reflected in fewer vacation trips to France and a declining reputation for French films and music,” says Ross. “The immediate vicinity is losing its appeal. This is not irreversible, but the development is noticeable.”
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