Hamburg [Germany], October 10: The governments of Germany and France will meet for a two-day joint Cabinet retreat in Hamburg beginning on Monday to try to patch up ties.
Franco-German cooperation has long been the motor of European policymaking, but the relationship hit the skids after Olaf Scholz became German chancellor in 2021.
The high-level meetings on Monday and Tuesday in the northern German port city will bring together Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, who took office six years ago, along with numerous ministers from both countries.
Among the major topics expected to be discussed include industrial support, European technological self-sufficiency, the enlargement of the European Union as well as Africa policy.
The neighbours have chafed over everything from security matters to the EU's energy policy and fiscal rules. In a speech last year in Prague on Europe's future, Scholz failed to even mention France - a slight that did not go down well in Paris.
Berlin and Paris are not on the same wavelength when it comes to defence, for example. Macron is insisting that EU members sign procurement contracts with industries in the bloc - i e French firms - rather than making deals with US and Israeli companies, as Germany has done.
The leaders have sought to strengthen their bond. Scholz visited France in January, and top officials from both countries have travelled for more frequent meetings.
Macron had planned to make a high-profile state visit to Germany earlier this year but it was postponed due to nationwide unrest in France following a police shooting. That visit is now due to take place next year.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth, of Scholz's Social Democrats, called on both countries to show more determined cooperation.
"At the moment, things are very unambitious," he told the RND media group. Both partners must "make an effort to make more of their leadership responsibility for Europe." However, the meeting will be overshadowed by the deadly attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, which has triggered a massive military confrontation, with the combined death toll among Israelis and Palestinians at more than 1,000.
Germany and France had plans to jointly develop key weapons systems by the middle of this century, including a battle tank to replace the French Leclerc and the German Leopard 2. But after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, the order books for the Leopard began filling up, and interest in the joint project waned, at least among German manufacturers. Nevertheless, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his French counterpart SebastienLecornu sought to reboot the project last month.
The Hamburg talks will begin with a tour of the Airbus aircraft plant in the city as well as a tour of the harbour. A joint press conference with Scholz and Macron on Tuesday will end the retreat.
Source: Qatar Tribune