Berlin and Paris
CNN
–
The hand that clasped the hands of French and German leaders has long embodied the spirit of unity in Europe. In 1984, the most famous, François Mitterland and Helmut Cole stood hand in hand with Verdun, symbolizing a reconciliation.
So, when Prime Minister Friedrich Merz held President Emmanuel Macron’s hand on the stairs of Elithe Palace in early May – a long, warm, handshake with a backslap – it was more than just a photo shoot.
The most important alliances in Europe were in motion, the most obvious sign to date. After years of sputtering and frustration under Olaf Scholz, the Franco German engine hums again, and there is a new name: Merzkron.
The two have met six times since Mertz’s election. Recently, along with other NATO leaders in The Hague. They will sit together again at the Council of Europe held in Brussels on Thursday.
Their shared agenda: to drive the European Union’s response to security, Ukraine and Trump-era uncertainty and shape Europe’s role at the global stage.
Ahead of Wednesday’s NATO summit, Macron and Meltz laid out their vision in a joint Financial Times opinion piece.
“At these tests, Germany and France stand together with their friends and allies across Europe and across Atlantic, standing united and strongly in order to defend our shared values and civil liberties and security,” they write.
They outline plans to increase defence spending, aiming to reach 3.5% of GDP in core investments in GDP, and seek to deepen cooperation between NATO and the EU, seeking stronger and more sovereign Europe, which no longer relies on others for its security. They pledged to ensure that Ukraine will be “prosperous, robust and safe,” and warned that European stability will be in balanced for decades.
The indication is that Portomantee’s powerful “Mercron” or “Mercron” alliance, derived from the name of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Macron and his predecessor Nicholas Sarkozy, have evolved into the equally influential “Mercron.”
The ongoing two-day Council of Europe summit in Brussels is the first of Merz’s Prime Minister, shortly after the G7 conference held in Canada and the NATO leader’s summit in The Hague. It will probably be another demonstration of how strong this union is.
CNN spoke to French President Francois Holland, who worked closely with Merkel, and two stubborn people in the partnership of Wolfgang Isinger – Franco Germany, former German deputy chief, once known as Europe’s most connected former diplomat.
Under former German Prime Minister Scholz, the Berlin-Paris axis became tense.
Stephen Seidendorf, director of the Franco German Institute in Ludwigsburg, Germany, said that Skolts spent so much time doing “home homework” that he couldn’t concentrate fully in Europe.
The tripartite coalition he led was plagued by internal conflicts on domestic and European issues that eventually collapsed in November last year, causing early elections.
However, there were also some interpersonal issues. “Macron had difficulty getting along with this highly Protestant northern Germany. He wasn’t very emotional and didn’t become a big symbol of political leadership,” Siedendorf told CNN in a phone interview.
He added that the same was given to Scholz, who found it difficult to get along with this French president who lives in Elisé’s palace with all the money, glitter and ceremony.
But neither of them was given the friendship between Macron and Meltz, taking into account their different styles. Macron, 47, was welcomed in theaters on Jupiter as a fantasy and fired by others as a narcissist. The 69-year-old Mertz is impulsive, exposed to spiny pressure, and sometimes leaning towards the populist roars.
That said, Isinger said both leaders “meeted fairly easily – and put together their actions.” Speaking about the traits of their shared characters, he said, “I love interaction. They enjoy difficult questions. These two have a way of understanding each other.
The clearest display of “Merzcron” is supported by Ukraine. Hollande told CNN that the duo is already “effective” on the issue.
Their recent trip to Kiev, along with British and Polish leaders Kiel Starmer and Donald Tass, was “a symbol of a new kind of resolve that is the major European powers to make progress,” Isinger said.
Paris was a hawkish for longer than Berlin in its support for Ukraine. Macron is a strong supporter of the boots on the country’s ground, allowing Ukraine to launch French-made long-range missiles deep into Russia.
However, Hollande said, “We have seen that Mertz’s position differ slightly from the position of his predecessor, including the delivery of missiles that can reach Russian territory.”
Since taking office, Mertz has welcomed Ukrainian President Voldy Mirzelensky to Berlin and has announced a new $5 billion package for Ukraine.
“We are completely united now,” Isinger said of the cooperation of Ukrainian Franco Germany.
Russia’s unease over the more coordinated Franco-German approach to Ukraine is already beginning to show.
The news of last month’s visit to Kiev by Mertz and Macron was accompanied by the release of photos taken before a meeting between them. Sitting on the table was a white tissue.
Its existence was amplified by Kremlin officials and later sparked online rumours that date back to Pro-Russia’s account, falsely claiming that the crumpled organisation Macron picked up and put in his pocket was a cocaine bag.
Elise said, “When European unification becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes to make simple tissues look like drugs. This fake news is spread by the enemies of France both overseas and at home.”
US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House forced a new alignment between European powers, particularly on issues of security in Europe.
The Trump administration’s insistence that Europe should do more to protect itself has sparked a shift, Hollande explained, saying “France and Germany were forced to cooperate diplomatically and militarily, but up until then their main integrity had become a financial issue.”
“We have a common responsibility today. Germany has to do more to defend it. France must be willing to share many proposals and initiatives with Germany, including defense,” Hollande says.
Before he officially took office, Merz was able to push for reforms to Germany’s constitutional debt brakes, unlocking more than $5 trillion in defence spending. He also promises to create Europe’s largest army. Both represent major changes for Germany.
Previously, the Netherlands suggested that these movements may have made it difficult for France to hold their stomachs in their stomachs.
“We were once very reluctant to re-contract Germany. It was a politically sensitive issue after the war. But today, no one in France is afraid of remarriage in Germany. We welcome it,” he said.
Macron and Meltz also appear to have taken a similar approach to dealing with Trump. Both have had enthusiastic and positive meetings with the President in an oval office.
Paris and Berlin are also trying to revive the “Weimar Triangle” from decades ago. Founded after Germany’s reunification in 1991, the aim was to deepen the folds of Poland, led by Germany and France.
Ischinger feels that the relative weight of the European Union has moved east due to the war in Ukraine. In other words, Warsaw must be an important ally to Paris and Berlin more than ever before. “The harmony (between France and Germany) is important, but that’s not enough,” he said.
“The centre of the good old European Union was somewhere between France and Germany. But today almost half of its members are in the east of Germany,” he adds, saying more to Poland is the best way to connect the continents.
That shift has already been unfolded. Besides taking part in a trip to Kiev, Task found himself directly involved in European talks with Trump as the US president tried to mediate the end of the Russian-Ukraine war.
Poland’s position as Europe’s fastest growing economy, commitment to NATO defence spending, is projected to rise to 4.7% for other member states in 2024 at 4.2% of GDP, while the geographical location adjacent to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus has made the nation a key nexus on the continent.
Nevertheless, for Hollande, “When France and Germany speak in one voice and pull in the same direction, Europe only moves forward. After that, European machines can function properly.”
Ischinger added: “If Franco-German cooperation works well, there is a perfect prerequisite for moving forward and moving forward through the entire European Union.”
For now, the “Merzcron” engine is on fire, allowing you to keep momentum going and pull the rest of Europe into the gear.
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