Laura Laplaud
modified to
9:21 a.m., October 26, 2022
Should we stop talking about a Franco-German couple? While Emmanuel Macron receives Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Elysee Palace this Wednesday in a tense context between the two countries, Nicolas Baverez, economist, historian and editorialist, guest of Europe Matin this Wednesday affirmed that this name hid a dependence of France to Germany.
Nothing is going well between Paris and Berlin? This is what Nicolas Baverez, economist and historian, says in the newspaper Point. Emmanuel Macron receives this Wednesday at the Elysée his German counterpart Olaf Scholz. A meeting which takes place in a tense context between France and Germany, against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and the impact on their economies. “France is terribly weakened, economically, financially, it depends on Germany, it is thanks to Germany and the Euro that we do not find ourselves in the situation of financial panic from the United Kingdom”, he declared on Wednesday at the microphone of Europe 1.
“France is trying to hide its dependence on Germany”
“This designation of Franco-German couple is a French designation. France, in Europe, tries to hide its dependence on Germany with the designation of Franco-German couple, it is largely a myth”, a-t- he added to the microphone of Europe 1.
Germany has announced a massive €200 billion energy support plan, aimed at capping energy prices and relieving German consumers from inflation. If Germany defends its interests, Paris suspects Berlin of going it alone. “It’s true that Germany defends its interests but we don’t see why we can criticize it,” he maintained, while acknowledging that the 200 billion euros announced are a “new competitive devaluation” which will create inevitably “problems of major distortions” and “a real threat to the industry of other countries”. The unilateral exit from nuclear power as well as the dieselgate have already put France in an extremely complicated situation, adds the editorialist.
“France is not naive, it is weak”
“France seems naive, but in reality, it is not naive, it is weak,” he said at the microphone of Europe 1. “Why can’t we defend our interests? Because it is considerably weakened and because we are in a situation of dependence vis-à-vis Germany. We now have a relationship between the two economies: there is a 15% difference in wealth between a Frenchman and a German. Why can the Germans commit 200 billion euros? Because their debt is 70% of GDP. Why can’t we do it? Because our debt is 112.5% of GDP. GDP,” he said. “What is needed today is to rebuild a French model adapted to the 21st century”, he concluded.