Paris had to wait a long time for Berlin to once again become a driver of the debate on the future of the European Union.
The knot burst on Monday.
In Prague, Chancellor Scholz presented a whole bundle of reform proposals aimed at strengthening the EU.
This is urgently needed.
Putin's Greater Russian imperialism has become an acute threat to European security and prosperity.
Economically, Europe has made itself even more dependent on China than on Russia.
America could trump its allies again under the next president.
If the Europeans want to continue to live according to their own ideas of democracy, human rights and the market economy, then they must intensify their cooperation in all important political fields and organize them more effectively.
Scholz was denied any resounding success
Scholz also had to speak at length at Charles University in order to be able to deal with all the points that have long plagued the European reform debate.
The proposals were not entirely new, neither those about the establishment of a kind of pre-EU as proposed by Macron nor those on the subject of majority decisions, which Scholz had previously advocated.
Resounding success has so far failed him.
Even in Germany, which sees itself as a European paragon, many would first have to get used to the idea of being outvoted when it comes to decisions on migration policy, debt accumulation or military operations.
However, the nations of free Europe should already realize that together they can better and more enduringly defend their freedom and prosperity than each alone.
Their governments must promote unity, not national egoism and division.
Scholz set an example for this in the Karolinum, as did Macron at the Sorbonne.
But one does not become a great European with great theses, but only with great deeds.