EU in unchartered waters amid strained France-Germany ties

An influential German member of the European Parliament says strained ties between France and Germany are holding-up key decisions in the EU, including a trade deal and military aid to Ukraine.

David McAllister, Chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said the lack of contact between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France’s President Emmanuel Macron is causing delays on key decisions on a future trade deal with the Mercosur bloc of Latin American countries, and fighter jets and battle tanks.

The next-generation European battle tank is an integral part of the main combat system in Ukraine.

“At the moment we’re seeing a remarkable lack of internal coordination between Paris and Berlin. And that is not good,” McAllister, who is also a key figure in the opposition Christian Democrats Party, said.

He stressed that while the Franco-German relationship was not “everything in Europe” but “things don’t work” without cooperation between the two states.

“In the end, Paris and Berlin need to agree to smooth things … and this is where I criticize the German government. I don’t think we have seen such little cooperation between Paris and Berlin as we are witnessing at the moment,” he said.

France and Germany have traditionally been seen as consensus makers within the EU.

ME