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Macron turns to Merz as French parliament nears collapse

Media coverage |

interview by Laurent Geslin for

  Euractiv 

 
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The French president must now rely more than ever on Merz to make his voice heard in Europe.

PARIS – Emmanuel Macron will host German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the Riviera on Thursday evening, hoping support from Berlin can bolster his standing in the EU as the French government edges towards collapse. 

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Macron will be glad to escape the turmoil of French politics for a couple of days. He will greet Merz at his summer residence, the Fort of Brégançon, before the pair head to Toulon on Friday for the 25th Franco-German ministerial council.

The meeting is an opportunity for the Élysée to once again hail the “revival” of relations between Paris and Berlin.

 

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In recent months, Macron and Merz have stepped up their bilateral meetings, and “serious groundwork has been laid” since the formation of the German government on 6 May, confirms Paul Maurice, Secretary General of the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa), Ifri

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Paul MAURICE
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Among the areas of alignment are the EU’s “economic rearmament”, boosting competitiveness, investing in AI and space, and Franco-German support for Ukraine. More than ever, Macron must rely on Merz to keep France’s voice at the EU table.

Yet, familiar irritants remain. Berlin backs the EU's trade agreement with Mercosur, which Paris opposes, and there is little chance Merz will rein in Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a fellow Christian Democrat, as she pushes for ratification.

Flagship defence projects such as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet also continue to spark rivalry between Dassault and Germany’s Airbus.

The two leaders have also clashed during Donald Trump's trade talks with Brussels. While Merz was quick to applaud the 15% tariffs that Von der Leyen agreed with Washington, Macron called for a far tougher approach and expressed regret that the EU had not made itself “feared enough”.

On European matters, the Germans drive a hard bargain, and just because they get on well with Macron doesn’t mean they’ll hand him any favours,” explains Michel Duclos, a former French ambassador who is now a special adviser at the Institut Montaigne think tank in Paris.

  • Yet a show of good relations between Paris and Berlin should make it possible “to anticipate sticking points” and lay out “red lines," Maurice said.


The shadow of dissolution

Around 20 ministers will join Friday’s working groups, with Macron’s entourage promising “concrete projects." Yet the bigger question is whether they will outlast Bayrou’s government, facing a confidence vote on 8 September.

The most recent Franco-German meeting, held in May 2024, took place just two weeks before Macron dissolved the parliament and called snap elections, after his party’s poor showing in the European ones.

  • With new elections again looming, Berlin is watching nervously to see who might form the next French government – particularly, Maurice noted, if the far-right National Rally (RN) makes large gains.

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Read the full article on Euractiv (online).

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Euractiv

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Laurent Geslin

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Interview

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Paul MAURICE

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