“Two souls in one breast”: Germany and France renew the alliance strained over Ukraine

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France and Germany met for talks on Sunday in an effort to mend an alliance strained by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, among other things.

The entire German cabinet went to Paris for a meeting on security, energy in Europe and other challenges, as the pair tried to bridge their differences, while some 300 lawmakers gathered at the Sorbonne.

“Germany and France … must become pioneers in rebuilding Europe,” President Emmanuel Macron said during a speech at the prestigious French university.

He described the neighbors as “two souls in one chest”.

The day coincides with the 60th anniversary of a treaty signed between the two historical rivals supporting the European Union.

“The Brotherly Couple”

Macron and his German counterpart, Olaf Scholz, held two rounds of talks at the Elysee Palace, initially focusing on energy and economic policy, then moving to defence.

“The future, like the past, depends on the cooperation of our two countries,” said Schultz, likening the couple to “the locomotive of a united Europe.”

Together, he continued, they were able to overcome their “differences”, adding that the “Franco-German engine” would “purr softly” and would “always turn disagreements” into “close-minded action”.

But behind the pageantry are a number of flashpoints between Berlin and Paris.

Officials said Sunday’s agenda was to put together a European response to U.S. subsidies for electric car manufacturers and other environmentally friendly businesses, as part of President Biden’s inflation-reducing bill.

A potential trade war between the United States and the European Union has loomed for several months, with Brussels describing the €356 billion in aid to US industry promised by Washington as protectionist and discriminatory.

France wants Europe to confront what it views as an unfair US move.

Paris is pushing for the EU to relax rules on state subsidies to speed up their allocation, streamline the bloc’s support for investment and create an EU sovereign fund to boost green industries.

However, Berlin cautions against protectionism.

The war in Ukraine

European neighbors have also discussed military aid to Ukraine, according to French and German officials who were not authorized to be named.

Both offered great support, but Kyiv is now asking for heavy tanks and more powerful weaponry as Russia intensifies its offensive.

The war has exposed the differences in strategy, with Berlin currently under fire for refusing to give Ukraine the Leopard 2 battle tanks it craves.

At the Sorbonne, Scholz said France and Germany would continue to “provide Ukraine, as long as necessary, with all the support it needs”.

“Vladimir Putin’s imperialism will not triumph,” he insisted.

More friction surrounds how to deal with the resulting energy crisis and punish inflation, as well as future military investment.

Sunday’s meeting was the first in-person joint government meeting since 2019. It was originally scheduled for October but has been repeatedly postponed.

Officials celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty signed by French President and warlord Charles de Gaulle and West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on January 22, 1963.

Macron and Scholz both called for a more “sovereign” Europe, by increasing investment in defense and industry.

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