London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

Franco-German tiff threatens to knock EU off balance

Franco-German tiff threatens to knock EU off balance

German official cites ‘logistical issues’ and disagreements on the content of a Franco-German declaration.

When France and Germany can't get along, the entire EU has a problem.

That's what's happening now, as Berlin and Paris had to delay a long-anticipated bilateral summit amid an embarrassing falling-out over key policy areas such as defense and energy. With war raging in Ukraine, the timing could hardly be worse.

Just one day ahead of a crucial European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, where EU leaders are expected to clash over how to respond to skyrocketing energy prices, Germany and France announced that their yearly Franco-German ministerial council, which had been planned for next Wednesday in Fontainebleau, south of Paris, would be shifted to January.

Officially, both sides claim that "difficulties on the agenda of some ministers" were the reason for the surprising postponement of their bilateral cabinet meeting, the first instance of that kind of top-tier format since Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government took office last year.

At least five of Scholz's ministers, including Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, had complained internally that next Wednesday would have fallen in a rare week where they could take holidays together with their children as they will be on a school break. That, however, seems flimsy reasoning when war is raging on the Continent. The actual reason for the postponement is rooted in significant differences on energy and defense issues, which made it difficult for both sides to agree on a joint declaration that they had planned to sign.

"In some dossiers we are not yet ready to be on the same line. Therefore, knowing that, we said that it would be better to do [the ministerial council] in January, when we are also present with all the important ministers," one German official said, adding that "we are in the process of finding a [new] date."

“There isn’t enough progress on topics [of discussion]," a French official said earlier on Tuesday, when POLITICO first reported the possible postponement.

Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron might still have a tête-à-tête in Paris next Wednesday, the German official added. Both leaders will also meet in Brussels this Thursday ahead of an EU leaders' summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may yet reunite in Paris, a German official said


Officials on both sides said that negotiations between Paris and Berlin had been particularly difficult on energy issues — such as whether to build the Midcat pipeline project running from the Iberian Peninsula to northern Europe. Germany sees this as a vital alternative route to bring North African gas into Europe now that Russia is no longer a reliable supplier.

The two are also at odds over France's demand to introduce price caps on gas and electricity and defense issues, like the joint development of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet.

Germany's go-it-alone approach to pouring up to €200 billion into the German economy to help cushion the impact of soaring energy prices also stoked anger in France, which reckoned Berlin should have consulted its allies over such massive payments that could distort the internal market.

"It isn't unusual that a week before a summit there are still negotiations about the text [of a joint declaration]," said one German official. "But here we had some significant gaps on key issues that need to be discussed at the highest level."

An Elysée official confirmed defense and energy were two areas where progress was needed and that Macron and Scholz would set the date for their next bilateral meeting when they meet in Brussels on Thursday.

“Clearly, we need more discussions on defense, how we align ourselves on European sovereignty. And energy … We need a continent that produces more carbon-neutral energy,” the adviser said.

The Franco-German government joint meetings have been taking place since 2003 at least once a year, but were canceled in 2020 and only held via videoconference in 2021 owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Expectations for this year’s meeting had been particularly high as it would be the first in-person meeting of both governments for three years. Both sides had also expressed strong interest in boosting cooperation, especially in the area of defense where Europe’s lack of autonomy has been laid bare by the war in Ukraine.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire sought to downplay the significance of the postponement on Wednesday: "I just want to [make clear] that the postponement of the […] is linked only to difficulties on the agenda of some ministers, but it has nothing to do with any kind of political difficulties. It is only linked to agenda complexities."

However, two officials in Berlin fumed about the fact that the holiday plans of senior German ministers such as Baerbock and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser were used as a justification to cancel a summit that had been planned for several months.

That justification risks to sound particular weird, or embarrassing, as it involves Germany's diplomatic chief, one official said.

In other EU countries, the postponement also raised eyebrows.

"Maybe the Belgians can come in and mediate between the two," one diplomat in Brussels joked.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
×