EU relaunch: Merkel and Macron join forces for agreement in July

Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron at their joint press conference at Meseberg Castle, near Berlin, June 29, 2020. Hayoung Jeon / Pool via REUTERS

Text by: Pascal Thibaut Follow

It was their first real encounter since the establishment of containment. Angela Merkel received Emmanuel Macron on Monday at the official residence of the German government in Meseberg, near Berlin. Two days before the start of the German presidency of the European Union, the two heads of state wanted to highlight their unity, starting with the economic recovery plan proposed by the European Commission, a plan which largely takes up the Franco-German initiative in mid-May.

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From our correspondent in Berlin,

“  We hope that we will find a solution, even if there is still a long way to go. Angela Merkel, like her host Emmanuel Macron, wants the European summit of 17 and 18 July to find a compromise on the recovery plan of 750 billion euros proposed by the commission and on the medium-term budget of the European Union.

Both the French President and the Chancellor want to persuade the so-called "frugal" countries - the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Austria - that they also have to gain from an agreement.

Emmanuel Macron considered that they had no "interest" in blocking the recovery plan, stressing that they were beneficiaries of the single market. The French president would obviously not want to unravel too much before the financial package presented.

Angela Merkel, who will hold the presidency of the European Union from Wednesday, has remained faithful to her negotiating tradition, evoking modifications to the committee's project to overcome the reluctance of certain countries .

Angela Merkel also clarified that it would not be harmful for the stimulus funds to be linked for the beneficiary countries to reforms. There too we could see one of the tracks of a solution, the so-called “frugal” countries insisting on the conditionality of the aid.

► Read also: Merkel receives Macron at the dawn of a decisive EU presidency

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  • Germany
  • France
  • European Union
  • Angela Merkel
  • Emmanuel Macron

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