The leaders of Germany and of France, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macronstaged from Hamburg the reestablishment of the Franco-German axisa traditional European driving force, after months of more or less open dissent on the matter energy.
“We intend to have an agreement by the end of the month that is necessary and to which we are committed,” said the French president, after Scholz explained that the teams of both governments are working together in that direction. The efforts of the intergovernmental consultations opened on Monday by the executives of both countries, with the assistance of their respective ministers and leaders, have been concentrated in the search for this agreement.
Consonance between France and Germany is the cornerstone of any European solution, said the chancellor. For the design of the European energy market, it is “fundamental” that both countries “act together,” said the French president.
The expressed good intentions of both leaders were the focus of an appearance before the media, marked by attacks by Hamas and declarations of unconditional support for Israel -supported by a joint statement with the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom signed after a videoconference the night before-.
Dissent over nuclear
However, media questions were preferably directed at public and prolonged dissent in the Paris-Berlin axiswhose most flagrant exponent was the postponement a few months ago of the intergovernmental consultations, now recovered.
France has made it clear that it will not deviate from its commitment to nuclear energy, the country’s energy mainstay, while Germany – which in the midst of the energy crisis sealed its abandonment of that source of energy – questions whether it can be given the same rank as renewables in the shared goal of decarbonization.
Hamburg, Scholz’s political homeland, was the setting chosen to announce these advances that, according to both leaders, “are within reach.” There was a certain commitment to spreading smiles and showing cordiality, including tasting the typical Hamburg ‘Franzbrötchen’, a butter, sugar and cinnamon bun that is distantly reminiscent of the French croissant.
There was not the spontaneous closeness that characterized the bilateral meetings during the times of the chancellor. Angela Merkel. Nor was it expected, since they do not fit Scholz’s mood, which is usually attributed to the cold and more or less recognizable character typical of every Hamburger.
Alert against the extreme right
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The other question about the Hamburg meeting, in this case reserved for German politics, was the rise of the far right confirmed last weekend with the regional elections in Bavaria and Hesse, two federal states in the south and west of the country, respectively. The forecasts in both ‘Länder’ pointed to a resounding conservative victory – which the respective governments were already leading – and a setback for the Scholz tripartite between social democrats, liberals and greens.
Both the negative forecasts for the chancellor and the conservative victory and, finally, the rise of the far-right were more than fulfilled. Alternative for Germany (AfD), which rose to second place in Hesse, with 18%, its highest in the west of the country, while in Bavaria it exceeded 14%. “The votes for a far-right party in Germany are worrying. There is no doubt about what its purposes are and that its positions are not in line with freedom, democracy and social justice,” Scholz said. Nor with the principles of the EU or with the security of Germany, added the chancellor, who considers it necessary to “defend democracy” from the push of these formations. Macron and Scholz agreed in pointing out the need to combat illegal immigration, whose rising figures give wings to far-right discourse. “Germany continues to receive record numbers of asylum seekers. Too many for the country,” Scholz concluded.