Tariffs and conflicts loom large over Merz and Macron’s working dinner
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) will host French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
- Merz and Macron will meet on July 23 in Berlin to discuss EU responses to US tariffs and support for Ukraine.
- The meeting highlights the importance of Franco-German relations amidst criticisms of Scholz's neglect of this relationship.
- Discussions will also cover European defence, diplomacy with Iran, and the future of the FCAS fighter jet project.
AI generated
BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will host French President Emmanuel Macron for talks over dinner in Berlin on July 23, with Europe’s battle to soften incoming US tariffs and support for Ukraine expected to top a packed agenda.
The meeting, which will take place at Villa Borsig in the German capital’s leafy outskirts, brings together the leaders of Europe’s two largest economies as trade negotiations approach President Donald Trump’s Aug 1 deadline.
“Of course, the question of how we react to the threat of tariffs on Aug 1 is a central focus, and also, the security situation in Ukraine,” Mr Merz’s chief of staff, Mr Thorsten Frei, told broadcaster ZDF.
“The fact that the agenda is so full shows that the relationship between Germany and France is not only good, but extremely important,” Mr Frei said, adding that a number of other topics would be discussed.
Conservative Mr Merz has courted a more unified front with France on a range of issues, from European defence to diplomacy with Iran, and has criticised his predecessor Olaf Scholz for neglecting Germany’s relations with its neighbour.
However, sticking points remain.
Germany’s signature was missing from a letter signed by France and 27 other Western countries
Mr Merz has been increasingly critical of Israel but his chief of staff said the letter was not clear enough that Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023, attacks
Mr Merz and Mr Macron are also expected to discuss the FCAS Franco-German-Spanish fighter jet project, whose future has been called into question amid a growing feud with Europe’s Airbus over control of the programme. REUTERS
