French President Emmanuel Macron hosted German CDU leader Friedrich Merz at his summer residence in Toulon during a meeting of the Franco-German Ministerial Council.
“Together, we want to give Europe more momentum” Macron stated before a working dinner with Merz. “A more competitive Europe, a simplification of many rules – that is crucial. In recent weeks, we have managed to bring the German and French perspectives much closer together.
Merz indicated a desire to address issues requiring collaborative solutions. “This unfortunately includes the ongoing war in Russia against Ukraine. We must revisit this topic today” he said, adding, “and against the backdrop of the fact that a meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Putin will apparently not take place – unlike the appointment arranged last week between President Trump and President Putin while we were working late.
The German politician also emphasized the intention to prioritize the reduction of bureaucracy at the European Union level. “We can do a lot in our member states. But if the European Union itself is not also prepared to seriously tackle a further reduction of bureaucracy, we will not succeed at the national level” Merz concluded.