Merz kicks off reign with Franco-German love-in

PARIS – Newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have pledged to "make Europe more sovereign" by developing the continent’s defence and boosting its competitiveness.

After the humiliation of having to face an unprecedented second-round vote to become chancellor, Merz sought comfort on Wednesday morning from his good friend Emmanuel Macron, in an effort to initiate a "reset" in relations between Paris and Berlin.

The French president’s advisers had eagerly awaited Merz's coronation, following what they saw as the lacklustre tenure of Olaf Scholz. Merz's brief visit to Paris was a stopover on his way to Poland, Germany's other key security partner on the continent.

“I want to commend Germany’s decision to invest heavily in defence,” said Macron, a major advocate for Europe's ongoing defence push, which the two leaders pledged to drive forward.

The new chancellor, for his part, said he wished to “speak with France and the United Kingdom” about nuclear deterrence in Europe, “as a complement to what we already have with our American partners”.

“We remain united and firmly committed to a sovereign and independent Ukraine,” the two leaders also wrote in a joint op-ed published just minutes before their press conference, stressing that they would not accept “a peace that would be imposed”.

Nonetheless, Merz was keen to emphasise that it remained “important” for the United States to be able to provide security guarantees at the conclusion of any peace agreement.

Macron, meanwhile, announced the launch of a joint “Defence and Security Council” in the summer, stating that Paris and Berlin intended to “respond together to the challenges Europe faces” and “act hand in hand”.

Beyond defence, the two leaders discussed the “implementation of the EU's competitiveness agenda”, notably through a “realignment” of the two countries’ energy policies, as well as “reducing” the administrative burden within the EU.

Fragile leaders

Merz and Macron have made multiple gestures of friendship in recent months.

While Merz was still only the presumptive next chancellor, Macron received him at the Élysée in December 2023. The French president welcomed the Christian Democrat leader again three days he won February's German election, and the two met once more in Berlin three weeks later.

Once a staunch Atlanticist, Merz has recently repeated that Europe must achieve “true independence from the United States”, sharply criticising what he sees as “interference” from the new American administration. The shift was music to the ears of the French head of state, who has championed the continent’s “strategic autonomy” since his Sorbonne speech in 2017.

“In light of cooling of relations with Washington, the alliance with France is vital,” said Martin Baloge, a Germany specialist and researcher at the Catholic University of Lille. He added that disagreements between the two remain, notably over the EU’s proposed trade agreement with Mercosur countries, which Macron opposes but Merz wants to see ratified “quickly”.

The only problem, Baloge notes, is that Merz “was elected in a very poor fashion”.

The new chancellor’s room for manoeuvre will therefore be limited, as he is likely to become “bogged down in endless negotiations in the Bundestag”.

“There is, however, a real sense of urgency,” around the Franco-German relationship, says Marie Krpata, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and member of its Franco-German Relations Committee.

“Emmanuel Macron has only two years left to make progress on European files, while the far right lurks in the wings – in both Paris and Berlin.”

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