Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (CDU) has visited French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris at the beginning of his term and agreed on closer cooperation. According to Merz, only by standing closer together than in the past can Germany and France meet the current challenges. “That’s why Emmanuel Macron and I have agreed on a new start for Germany and France in Europe” he said during a press conference with Macron. To achieve this, they will give new momentum to the friendship between Germany and France and further develop formats such as the E3 process with the UK or the Weimar Triangle with Poland.
Merz also expressed hope that the support for Ukraine will be better coordinated in the future, including through a format involving the respective heads of government, defense and foreign ministers. He stated that President Trump has full support for ending the war in Ukraine and killing in the country. Once a ceasefire is agreed upon, Germany is ready to participate in the monitoring of it, under the leadership and participation of the US. This would only be possible with a peace agreement.
Merz called the German-French friendship a gift that is not taken for granted. “I am grateful that I can also come to Paris these days, because the German-French friendship is a gift – a gift of forgiveness and reconciliation, especially for us Germans – and it is the result of great political foresight by those who stood in this responsibility over 70 years ago.”
Macron described it as an honor that the term of Merz as Chancellor begins in Paris. He emphasized that the goal is not only to strengthen the cooperation between Germany and France, but also to create friendship. Macron and Merz share the belief that one can only advocate for Europe if Germany and France approach each other in terms of economic and social policy.
Macron called for Europe to become more sovereign and emphasized the need to strengthen the competitiveness of Europe. He also stressed the importance of climate protection.