French President Emmanuel Macron met with Prime Minister Olaf Scholz in Paris on Wednesday, January 22, after which the leaders of France and Germany agreed that both countries must act for a “strong” Europe, according to local French media. He said he agreed.
According to Le Monde, at a joint press conference with President Macron at the Elysée Palace two days after Donald Trump’s inauguration, Scholz said the new US leader “will be a challenge and will face many challenges. That is already clear.” He added: “Rather than cowering and hiding, Europe will be a constructive and active partner.”
Scholz said this attitude would be “the basis for good cooperation with the new president of the United States.” He added that Europe and the United States are linked by a “long history of friendship and partnership,” which he said is a “stable foundation” for future relations. President Trump has already announced a number of policy measures, and “we will of course analyze them in detail with our European partners,” Scholz said.
The meeting between the two leaders was held to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, the framework for bilateral relations between France and Germany after World War II.
“We are a strong couple,” Macron said.
Mr. Macron and Mr. Scholz emphasized the role of their countries’ close cooperation in promoting European unity. “Europe has to be strong and resilient as the world is starting to move, to say the least,” said Scholz, who is due to hold a general election in the country next month. “The only possible response for Europeans to the times ahead is to be more united, ambitious, bold and independent,” President Macron said. “This is our momentum, this is the direction we are going.” Macron said Europe not only needs to increase spending on defense, but also “builds its own industrial base, its own capabilities, its own industries. We need to develop it.”
MNA