French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will travel to Germany on November 25 where she will meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The opportunity for Paris to once again put oil in the cogs of the Franco-German engine which had seized up on energy and defense issues. Initially scheduled for September, this visit had been postponed because Olaf Scholz had tested positive for Covid.
This trip takes place after the arrival, on October 26 in Paris, of Olaf Scholz who had shown with Emmanuel Macron the desire to give new impetus to the Franco-German tandem, struggling after a series of disputes, against a backdrop of war. in Ukraine and dark clouds gathering over growth in Europe.
“Take stock of the bilateral agenda»
The meeting with the German Chancellorwill allow us to take stock of the bilateral agenda and the next Franco-German deadlines“, Matignon detailed to AFP, while a Franco-German Council of Ministers was postponed from October to January.
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French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who will receive her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on Monday, mentioned in Le Parisien last Sunday the idea of a “meeting of the two Parliaments in Versaillesto mark the 60th anniversary, in January, of the Franco-German Treaty.
This trip will also be an opportunityto ensure the follow-up of joint commitments in a European framework, particularly in terms of energy cooperation“, according to Matignon. The Prime Minister will also meet Robert Habeck, Vice-Chancellor in charge of the Economy and the Climate.
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Olaf Scholz announced a 200 billion aid plan for individuals and businesses in the face of soaring electricity prices, but without consultation with its European partners, causing misunderstanding and fear of distortion of competition. Berlin is also promoting an anti-missile shield project with an Israeli component in particular, competing with that of Paris and Rome.
According to the services of Elisabeth Borne, the two countries will also reaffirm their “unwavering supportto Ukraine. This is the Prime Minister’s third trip abroad, after Algeria and Portugal.
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