Prime Minister Gabriel Attal in Germany for his first trip abroad
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is going to Berlin this Monday, February 5, 2024. He is making his first trip abroad for a working dinner with Chancellor Olaf Scholz while there are many points of disagreement between the two countries.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal in Matignon, February 1, 2024. © JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
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The debate on the motion of censure against the government was to take place this Monday evening in the National Assembly. But the schedule was changed to allow
Gabriel Attal
to honor his appointment in Berlin at the end of the day. It is in fact in the German capital that the Prime Minister wanted to organize his first trip abroad. A tradition which will allow it to affirm its European commitment.
After a speech to the French community at the French embassy residence, the head of government will be received with military honors at 6 p.m. at the German chancellery, before an interview with
Olaf Scholz
. This interview will cover all the subjects “
bilateral, European and international issues as well as questions of economic policy
,” said the Chancellor’s spokesperson on Friday February 2. The two officials will then hold a joint press conference, then have dinner at the chancellery.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently visited Berlin on January 22, where he praised the commitment to Franco-German friendship of former Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, in a speech mainly in German delivered during a national tribute in the Bundestag.
Many areas of disagreement between the two countries
However, Franco-German relations are not at their strongest, points out our correspondent in Berlin,
Nathalie Versieux
. Already in October 2023, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron
had conceded this
, during a work seminar. The two countries – whose energy models are diametrically opposed – argued in particular over the electricity market issue.
Tensions also concern other areas, such as European defense and support for Ukraine. Germany, kyiv's second supporter behind the United States, would like Paris to provide more weapons to the country attacked by Russia. “
We are facing a war in Ukraine, and this is exacerbating the divisions between France and Germany in terms of defense policy, energy policy, but also economic and trade policy
,” explains Marie Krpata, specialist researcher at the French Institute of International Relations.
The European Sky Shield was announced in 2022 on the sidelines of a NATO summit. It is a project initiated by Germany in which 14 countries wanted to participate, now there are 18. It is based on an American technology, Patriot and another Israeli one, Iris-T. France and Italy are working on a similar project in parallel, but based on European technology. These countries say that they promote European sovereignty by promoting European technologies.
01:03
Explanations from Marie Krpata on the disagreements between France and Germany on the European Sky Shield issue
Jelena Tomic
The proposed trade agreement with Latin America and Mercosur also pits Paris and Berlin against each other. A subject that should be discussed, because it is decried by farmers who have shown their anger in both countries. Despite these protests, Germany has not changed its position on the controversial draft trade agreement. “
I am a supporter of free trade agreements, including the Mercosur agreement
,” Olaf Scholz said again on Thursday, when Emmanuel Macron congratulated himself on having ensured that this draft agreement was not not “
was concluded in a hurry
”, “
because we showed inconsistencies
”.
In Germany, where young age is more synonymous with inexperience than dynamism,
the choice of Gabriel Attal
surprised the political class, as the government spokesperson admitted the day after the appointment of Elisabeth Borne's successor.
Also listen to Grand Report - France-Germany: how the people were reconciled
(
And with
AFP)
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