PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron and newly minted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz presented a shared vision for a well-armed and business-friendly Europe during their first formal meeting as peers on Wednesday.
Fewer than 24 hours after formally becoming Germany’s new leader, Merz traveled to Paris to meet with Macron at the Elysée Palace on how the so-called Franco-German engine can help the European Union confront the myriad issues facing the bloc, including American retrenchment and the need for increased defense spending; supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia; and boosting European competitiveness.
“We want to answer together the challenges that Europe faces,” Macron said.
After years of simmering disputes under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Macron and Merz were keen to present a refreshed, engaged and well-choreographed partnership spearheaded by two like-minded leaders eager to get down to business.
Macron hailed “a new page in the Franco-German friendship” while Merz said he already shared “a deep personal bond” with the French president.
The two leaders appeared relatively aligned on how to support Ukraine. Merz said he wanted Germany to offer Kyiv security guarantees if talks between Russia and Washington led to a ceasefire, something that both France and the U.K. have been actively pushing for, and would visit Kyiv in the coming weeks.
“President Trump also has our full support when it comes to bringing the killing to an end and ending the war,” Merz said. “Once a ceasefire is agreed, we are ready to participate in its monitoring under U.S. leadership.”
Macron has in the past said that Europeans need to work on security guarantees for Ukraine, including the possible deployment of troops in Ukraine after a ceasefire, irrespective of decisions made in Washington — a possible sign that Berlin might not be totally aligned with Paris on the role Europeans should play in Ukraine.
The two also appeared in lockstep in terms of backing the European Commission’s rearmament plan and efforts to make European businesses more competitive, many of which were inspired by the Mario Draghi report.
But enthusiasm over an assertive Germany is being tempered by some early signs that Merz is already a fragile chancellor, including an embarrassing initial failure to become chancellor on Tuesday in the Bundestag. Macron himself faces a gridlocked parliament at home, and limited room for maneuver due to lasting budget woes.
And differences of opinions have emerged between the two leaders over EU trade policy as well.
The German chancellor, who wants to jump-start his country’s sputtering, export-oriented economy by striking more free-trade deals, is pressing for the swift adoption of such a pact between the EU and the Mercosur group of South American nations. He said on Wednesday that the accord should be “adopted and put into force as quickly as possible.”
While Macron agreed that the EU needs to search out new export markets amid the upheaval caused by Trump’s tariffs, he cautioned that trade agreements should be in the EU’s interest and that goods entering the bloc must meet its stringent environmental and health standards.
France has long feared the Mercosur deal would lead to a glut of cheap agricultural imports from South American countries who hold their products to lower standards — thereby putting French farmers out of business.
“We are in favor of trade deals if they protect our European producers and ensure an equality of treatment,” he said.
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