German Foreign Policy
Faced with a fragmentation of the established order and an increasing number of crises, Germany is tending to reassess its position in a changing world.
Macron turns to Merz as French parliament nears collapse
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.
Macron and Merz try to revive challenging French-German partnership in Berlin
The French president and the German chancellor met on Wednesday, July 23, to prepare for a joint cabinet meeting scheduled for August 29. From defense projects to trade negotiations, several disagreements remain.
“There is, however, a real sense of urgency,” around the Franco-German relationship, says Marie Krpata, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and member of its Franco-German Relations Committee.
“Emmanuel Macron has only two years left to make progress on European files, while the far right lurks in the wings – in both Paris and Berlin.”
quoted by Laurent Geslin in Euractiv
'Depth of Franco-German bond': Macron to meet German president in rare state visit
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Sunday in what is seen as the highest level of diplomatic courtesy gestures.
Franco-German relation faces familiar challenge ahead of Macron’s Germany trip
Franco-German symbolism, rather than bickering over policy, will briefly take centre stage when French President Emmanuel Macron meets German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Sunday (26 May) during a three-day state visit, the first in 24 years.
How Macron and Scholz broke the Franco-German alliance at the heart of the EU
Breakdown of continental partnership is a threat to Europe – and could be catastrophic for Ukraine. It was meant to be a patching up of the notoriously fraught Macron-Scholz relationship, a “reset”, to borrow Hillary Clinton’s expression.
“Broken” Franco-German tandem needs Tusk and Trump
As the vital relationship between Franco-German leaders Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron appears “broken”, hopes for a sustainable fix rest on the Weimar Triangle and even the return of an old nemesis.
Macron and Scholz Meet to Patch up Their Fraying Ties
Allies fret that Franco-German animosity is undermining western unity over Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Berlin on Friday for talks designed to repair a fractured Franco-German relationship marred by caustic public spats and mutual recriminations over the war in Ukraine.
In the middle of the race, the Franco-German motor seems to be breaking down
Faced with the risk of losing investments in the technologies of the future, due to subsidies that its global competitors are pumping into their economies, the European Union is forced to rethink its industrial policy.
The United States and Europe risk entering into a subsidy war, each trying to support the competitiveness of their economies… their market economies… with public money. Meanwhile, member states expect from Brussels solutions that will allow them to remain relevant in a world where interventionism is the order of the day.
Macron and Rutte grow closer to each other through geopolitical shifts and a personal click
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague on Monday evening. He mainly hopes for Rutte's support for a European rebuttal to Biden's protectionist green industrial policy.
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Related centers and programs
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.
Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.