France and Germany Far Apart on EU Reform
The French and Germans appear to be far apart on EU reform.
The staging was similar to that of French President Emmanuel Macron's groundbreaking speech on the need for European Union reform delivered at the Sorbonne last fall. Surrounded by a handpicked audience, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas spoke last week about the lessons that Europe must draw from the policies being pursued by U.S. President Donald Trump. Maas demanded that Germany "join forces with France" and said that, "given the uncertainty in trans-Atlantic relations in particular, it must be absolutely clear that we are working hand in hand."
In the question-and-answer session that followed, one young listener asked if Maas could be a bit more precise about what Germany and France would be proposing this week. The foreign minister responded that he "could not yet conclusively answer because we are still engaged in intensive discussions on many points."
In truth, that means that Germany and France are far away from "working hand in hand." Whereas leaders in Paris and Berlin have repeatedly insisted how important the German-French relationship currently is, the differences between the two countries remain vast.
When the German and French cabinets meet on Tuesday in the Meseberg Castle just north of Berlin, Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will likely find it difficult to prevent the dissent from breaking out into the open. The French president is frustrated because the German response to his reform proposals came so late and was so timid. At the same time, the two countries have competing views on a number of issues: the trade conflict with Trump; the path forward on eurozone reform; and the future of European foreign and defense policy.The staging was similar to that of French President Emmanuel Macron's groundbreaking speech on the need for European Union reform delivered at the Sorbonne last fall. Surrounded by a handpicked audience, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas spoke last week about the lessons that Europe must draw from the policies being pursued by U.S. President Donald Trump. Maas demanded that Germany "join forces with France" and said that, "given the uncertainty in trans-Atlantic relations in particular, it must be absolutely clear that we are working hand in hand."
In the question-and-answer session that followed, one young listener asked if Maas could be a bit more precise about what Germany and France would be proposing this week. The foreign minister responded that he "could not yet conclusively answer because we are still engaged in intensive discussions on many points."
In truth, that means that Germany and France are far away from "working hand in hand." Whereas leaders in Paris and Berlin have repeatedly insisted how important the German-French relationship currently is, the differences between the two countries remain vast.
When the German and French cabinets meet on Tuesday in the Meseberg Castle just north of Berlin, Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will likely find it difficult to prevent the dissent from breaking out into the open. The French president is frustrated because the German response to his reform proposals came so late and was so timid. At the same time, the two countries have competing views on a number of issues: the trade conflict with Trump; the path forward on eurozone reform; and the future of European foreign and defense policy.
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Originally Posted by Peter1469
