Global News: [Original headline] Worldwide Update: [Description] - Macron finishes official trip
To conclude a three-day visit to Germany, French President Emmanuel Macron will engage in political discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). Several ministers from both governments will take part in this meeting which will occur at Schloss Meseberg in Brandenburg.
The main focus of the talks will encompass defense and security concerns, plus European competition policies. The German-French Defense and Security Council and the German-French Ministerial Council will convene at Meseberg. A quad meeting between Macron and Scholz is penciled in as a precursor.
Prior to the political talks, Macron will travel to Munster in the morning. He will obtain the International Peace Prize from the Westphalian Peace Foundation there. This award aims to recognize Macron's endeavors in boosting European collaboration. It is granted every two years by the Economic Society for Westphalia and Lippe (WWL). German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will present Macron with a speech during the ceremony.
The event in Munster city hall will signify the culmination of the state visit. It marked the first official visit by a French president in Germany in 24 years. Previously, Macron and his wife Brigitte toured Berlin and Dresden. The subsequent discussions at Meseberg address the operational cooperation between Germany and France.
Cooperation between the two countries has experienced turbulent periods over the past two years since Chancellor Scholz's Ampel government assumed power. Examples of these issues include differing approaches regarding Ukraine aid and economic policies targeting the competitors, US and China.
Macron asserts the necessity of enhancing European independence through a self-sufficient defense strategy and shielding the economy from unjust trade practices by China and the US. Contrastingly, Scholz prioritizes transatlantic relationships and China as a crucial business partner. Moreover, Macron unexpectedly advocated for deploying ground troops in Ukraine, which Scholz categorically rejects.
Scholz also opposes giving Ukraine long-range missiles of the Taurus type. Instead, France has transferred Scalp missiles to Ukraine, which have a limited range compared to the Taurus systems.
Advances in bilateral defense cooperation
At the meeting of the Defense and Security Council, it will also involve discussion on joint defense efforts. Progress has been achieved in this sector recently. In April, Germany and France's defense ministers, Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Sébastien Lecornu, laid the groundwork for a joint ground combat system. They endorsed an agreement addressing the disputed distribution of responsibilities in the significant project. In addition, both nations, in conjunction with Spain, are manufacturing a future air combat system.
Nevertheless, the theme maintains complexity. This stems from monetary implications in the form of multi-billion dollar contracts and disparities in industrial policies, as well as the core inquiry of whether a strengthened European defense essence forms part of NATO - or operates separately alongside it.
President Macron and Brigitte arrived in Berlin on Sunday evening. Macron and Steinmeier underscored the value of Franco-German connections early on, refuting any recent assumptions of its decline. On Monday, Macron explored Saxony.
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Source: www.stern.de
