Hikes instead of formalities
Germany and France want to work on the relationship
05/08/2023, 01:45 am
It has been crunching between Germany and France for some time. That should change now. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reports that the governments of both countries want to meet in annual cabinet meetings. To take the pressure off, they rely on a relaxed atmosphere.
According to a newspaper report, the governments of Germany and France want to significantly expand their cooperation and thus respond to ongoing criticism of the state of bilateral relations. Both governments have agreed to meet once a year for a joint cabinet retreat, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported, citing government circles in Berlin. The first such exam will take place in Germany in autumn, probably in October.
Similar to the cabinet retreats of the federal government in Meseberg, speakers should be invited to topics that concern both societies. It should be spoken without formalities and communiqués. Instead, joint hikes are planned.
The six-monthly councils of ministers that have already been established are also to be reformed and thus bring a greater yield in terms of content. The plan is to reduce the number of participants and focus on specific topics such as security or social policy.
Germany and France had already agreed on more practical cooperation in the 2019 Aachen Treaty. Recently, however, there had always been dissonances. A joint ministerial meeting planned for autumn was canceled at short notice. Most recently, French President Emmanuel Macron’s warning that Europeans should not get caught up in a conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan caused irritation in Berlin. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz receives Macron on June 6 for a dinner in Potsdam.