MARSEILLE, France (CN) — Amid a strain in Franco-German relations, French President Emmanuel Macron is traveling to Germany on Sunday for the first state visit of its kind in 24 years.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will receive Macron with more pomp and circumstance than typical meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. Macron will attend various events during his three-day visit commemorating the end of communist rule in Germany.
In the broader sense, the meeting is an opportunity for Macron and Scholz to show alignment during a rocky period for the two countries' relations. The leaders have publicly voiced diverging views on major issues from the economy to Ukraine at a time when the EU is trying to portray an image of unity.
Hall Gardner, a professor of politics at the American University of Paris, argues that the relationship began to deteriorate when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and ironically when Brexit was announced in 2016.
“I say 'ironically' because many hoped that the British exit from the EU would press France and Germany into greater political, economic and strategic cooperation,” Gardner told Courthouse News. “Instead, France and Germany have accused each other of opting for self-serving policies that undermine European policy coordination and political unity.”
Others argue that the relationship has been tense for longer.
“The Franco-German relationship has always been volatile,” Armin Steinbach, a professor of law and economics at HEC Paris Business School, told Courthouse News. “There have always been up and downs … . Not only personalities play a role, but also substance; when it comes to substance the most recent development is certainly that there are continuous disagreements on how to run the economy.”
Steinbach argues there’s a fundamental difference between how the two countries approach the economy.
“France typically is more prone to an interventionist approach to economic policy, whereas Germany is pursuing a more hands-off economic policy,” he continued.
Tensions have extended into other sectors. Energy has been a sticking point. While France has boosted its nuclear energy program, Germany has been dependent on Russian gas. According to Gardner, when Germany and Spain proposed building a new pipeline through the French Pyrenees that would offset some of that dependency, France opposed the project, heightening the strain.
“Paris prefers to focus European energy investment on French nuclear power, while Germany opposes the nuclear option and seeks alternative gas supplies,” Gardner told Courthouse News.
The approach to the Russia-Ukraine war is another source of disagreement that has played out in the public eye. When Macron announced the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine earlier this year — sparking controversy both across France and Europe as a whole — Scholz opposed the idea, creating concern over alignment between the biggest EU member states.
“The proposal of all options, including the deployment of troops or some form of French and European military presence in Ukraine, has undermined Scholz’s approach of not provoking Russia and not allowing German or Western troops to be involved in the conflict,” Gardner said.
But disagreements on the conflict run even deeper, and are especially linked to weapons supply. Despite Macron’s strongman stance, Germany has been supplying vastly more weapons and financial support to Ukraine, according to Stefan Meister, head of the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations.
“At the end of the day, when it comes to joint forces on defense and military cooperation, it comes down to very selfish national interests that are at stake when it comes to who is going to supply certain military equipment,” Meister told Courthouse News. “Both countries want their industries to benefit and this leads to some sources of tension and a barrier to more cooperation.”
Ultimately, the two leaders also have very different personalities, which has likely contributed to the rift. While Macron wants to put all options on the table regarding Ukraine, and wants to make the European Union stronger and more unified in terms of geopolitical leverage, Scholz is more reluctant in taking a stance that Russia could perceive as a potential threat, according to Steinbach.
“Macron’s personality is that of an outgoing person who likes to take innovative and progressive measures, and who's also someone who pushes the European idea very much more than Scholz has been doing,” Steinbach said.
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