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That was something new: French President and German Chancellor, who face the questions of their citizens from both countries, live and without diplomatic arrangements. Lo and behold, German-French friendship is not a phantom. She is also more than holding hands over graves.
The chancellor is really jealous when she goes to the climate summit with the president: "You then have your many nuclear power plants and I mean many coal-fired power plants." Macron, on the other hand, is jealous because it is much easier to travel by train in Germany. Incidentally, France and Germany have "just decided differently in the arms exports to Saudi Arabia," says the Chancellor quite openly. So Merkel against, and Macron for it. "What kind of signal do you send to the world?" asks a German panelist.
The signal could not be clearer. Merkel and Macron are standing together. Never before have you made this so clear as on this day in the Aula Carolina on the marketplace of Aachen in front of 70 citizens. Never before have they talked so freely in public, frankly acknowledging their differences in order to clarify their shared claim to leadership. "Today is already a day on which we have both courage," Merkel said. It was allowed to take it away from her.
In video: "Important day for German-French relations"
imago / IPON
It was also high time for that. Hardly anyone seemed interested in the paper Chancellor and President signed in the morning. It is called "Aachen Treaty", following the example of the Elysee Treaty, with which President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer entered the history books on the same day 56 years ago. But there is no repetition of the story: "Merkel and Macron draw without conviction," expressed the title of the conservative Paris Leitblatt "Figaro " in the morning from the widespread skepticism. And in front of the city hall in Aachen, where the contract was signed, there were just as many supporters with blue balloons as opponents in yellow west, who loudly demanded the resignation of Macron and Merkel. The "Festversammlung", which the Chancellor welcomed, was in reality only held in a closed hall. Almost a disgrace for a new German-French friendship treaty, which should be a matter for the peoples.
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It went well in the end, because Merkel and Macron put on a Schippe. What matters, the Chancellor said, "is the decisive will to really bring him to life (the contract, dR)". And added, "Yes, we have this unconditional will. (...) I commit to it." In a similar vein, Macron said, "Our ambitious goals provide real protection in the face of new threats from outside Europe."
Ambition and will so. And not only to preserve the status quo, as the new treaty sometimes seems to suggest. "In politics, strength is crucial," quotes a new Paris book titled "The Headlessness of the World" the old Florentine Machiavelli. Chancellor and President, that was felt, wanted to follow this advice in Aachen. Show strength against the headlessness. With a new contract paper alone, this was a bad thing. But certainly, if you hold your head out on the open stage together. Hopefully, Macron and Merkel will have the courage to do so on many days.