Germany’s Vice Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Berlin to boost relations amid challenging global geopolitical times.
Macron’s first visit to Berlin since Merz became the chancellor of the country is aimed at boosting French-German cooperation “at all levels” amid ongoing US trade tariffs.
Merz said at the beginning of Macron’s visit that, "We stand on the foundation of a close Franco-German friendship that has developed over decades.” Both nations are currently facing a threat of increased tariffs from Washington, with US President Donald Trump threatening to impose 30 per cent tariffs against the EU nations if no deal is finalised by August 1.
Merz and Macron expressed their willingness to cooperate and also confront issues about the ongoing trade war with the US.
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Merz said, "We will discuss some very current issues together, including the current trade policy, about which we are hearing in these minutes that there could be decisions.”
Similarly, the French leader also said ahead of his meeting with Merz that "Today, we are responding to the tariff offensive that has been launched with a determination that we share: to provide stability and have the lowest possible tariffs."
The nations are also expected to sign several deals on the thorny issues, ranging from joint defence projects to energy infrastructure. Merz and Macron agreed on Wednesday to try to resolve differences over the FCAS fighter jet project by the end of August, a German government spokesperson told reporters.
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