Time for Scholz to go.
His visit to Paris today confirmed what many have whispered for months: the Franco-German relationship is anything but.
In politics, symbols are everything. The body language, the handshakes, the pomp: it all hints at where a diplomatic relationship is and, importantly, is not.
Scholz’s lunch with Macron to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the Elysée Treaty had its fair share of symbols – only that it felt like a wake.
Journalists flocked to the Elysée’s elegant Jardin d’Hiver for one last glimpse at the short-lived couple.
Scholz wasn’t even deserving of the informal French tu, and had to settle for a colder vous – a fitting farewell for what may well be his last Elysée visit as chancellor.
The cracks were there from the start. The two never actually got along, and the more they tried to make us believe otherwise, the more fake it felt. Unflattering photos of the two eating sandwiches in Hamburg infuriated the Elysée.
But problems have run deeper than personalities. They have been structural: power in the EU is shifting away from Paris and Berlin and towards Poland and Italy.
The bilateral relationship may still be necessary but no longer sufficient, and it would take two very willing leaders to revive it and give it renewed purpose.
Scholz is simply not that leader.
Sure, diplomatic ties ebb and flow. Sometimes, top-level politics are the tree hiding the forest: there are successes at the working level that contribute to pulling both countries closer – not apart.
But Paris seems ready to turn the page. Macron’s troops are already warm to the likely arrival of Christian democrat Friedrich Merz as the next chancellor – a Francophile friend of nuclear energy.
Word in Berlin has it the two men regularly speak on the phone.
Scholz is still in Paris, but he is already yesterday’s man.
Agrifood – Dutch company Mosa Meat has applied to sell its lab-grown beef fat in the EU, claiming it could be a game-changer in making plant-based products tastier for meat lovers.
Defence – NATO countries should increase their weapons stockpiles faster, the EU defence commissioner said on Wednesday, pledging the EU would support that goal with cash.
Tech – US President Donald Trump and the CEOs of OpenAI, Softbank and Oracle announced on Tuesday evening an investment of $100 billion into the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project, dwarfing the EU AI infrastructure push.
Environment – Transport and Tourism Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told the World Economic Forum’s Davos summit today that the EU’s planned sustainable tourism strategy will allow the sector to keep growing.
Across Europe
Greece – Donald Trump’s return to the White House is a wake-up call for Europe to move into action and warned that the era of outsourcing our security guarantees to Washington is over, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
Poland – Poland’s fortified buffer zone against Belarus and Russia could see a surge in migrants in the coming months, officials here warn, as spring temperatures encourage more people to attempt border crossings.
Portugal – Citing the country’s thorny housing crisis, the Portuguese government recently approved a controversial law to allow for a construction boom in natural zones – but critics say this is an excuse to build more homes for the rich.
Serbia – Serbia is ‘uniquely positioned’ to host Trump-Putin talks, said Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said on Tuesday, adding that Donald Trump entering the White House for a second presidential term is good news for Serbia.
Nick Alipour contributed to reporting.
(MM)
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