Baptiste Morin, edited by Laura Laplaud 07:00, October 26, 2022

Emmanuel Macron receives this Wednesday at the Elysée his German counterpart Olaf Scholz.

On the program, a lunch between the two men which replaces what originally was to be a Franco-German Council of Ministers over a whole day.

A meeting that takes place in a tense context between France and Germany.

Paris and Berlin will try to solve their couple problems.

Emmanuel Macron has lunch with Olaf Scholz at the Elysee Palace this Wednesday.

The French President and the German Chancellor have a lot to say to each other and above all to settle.

For the past few weeks, relations have turned sour.

Last hitch to date, the cancellation of the Franco-German Council of Ministers, replaced by this lunch.

Basically, Paris suspects Berlin of wanting to go it alone and defend its interests first to the detriment of its European partners.

What strained relations between Paris and Berlin?

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Is Berlin going it alone?

A figure: 200 billion euros.

Germany has announced a massive energy support plan of 200 billion euros.

A sum that will make German companies even more competitive to the detriment of other European companies.

This shield, which aims to cap energy prices and relieve German consumers from inflation, does not please everyone in the European Union and in particular France.

"Nobody in Europe, and especially not France, has an interest in Germany going into a deep recession because we are very linked economically, monetarily and industrially as well", argues Patrice Geoffron, professor of economics at Paris-Dauphine University. 

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Germany dependent on Russian gas

According to the professor of economics, Paris should also see its interest in it.

But something else strains relations between Paris and Berlin.

While France has been pushing for long weeks for a European cap on the price of gas used to produce electricity, Germany still opposes it, convinced that the market is self-regulating.

In the meantime, the discussions are still not materializing.

Germany had chosen to obtain gas supplies, mainly from Russia, a choice for which it is paying dearly today, as well as all of Europe by extension.

Each of the German attempts to find a solution seems to generate more tension than solidarity, as if its partners still have not forgiven it.