New Chancellor visits Macron and Tusk
On Wednesday, the day after his election as German chancellor, Friedrich Merz flew to Paris. In a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron the two leaders reaffirmed the close ties between their countries, which had recently cooled, as well as their shared interests. Merz then flew directly to Warsaw to meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk and reassert the desire for close ties with Poland. Commentators take stock.
The perfect duo
Deutschlandfunk is confident that the faltering Franco-German motor will get back on track:
“Macron, who had so many plans for the EU, never found the right partner in Berlin. Now with Merz and Macron, the perfect Franco-German duo seems to have been born. These two men are not only similar in type, but also look in the same direction when it comes to Europe. Even if they can't change everything and expectations should not be set too high, when Germany and France stand together things can change in Europe.”
Cooperation in Berlin's interest
Sydsvenskan also sees Merz and Macron on the same wavelength:
“The two leaders have what it takes to work together effectively. They share a liberal view of the EU, free trade and transnational cooperation. Unlike the Americans, who are waging trade wars. ... But Merz must become a more unifying centrist force than his predecessor. ... It is in Berlin's interest to improve its cooperation with Europe. This will enable Merz to boost the German economy, protect freedom and keep the nationalists out of power.”
A strong start
Commenting on Merz's first official visits, Corriere della Sera cites Hermann Hesse:
“If, as a German poet once said, 'in all beginnings dwells a magic force', then Merz - after a false start in which his opponents gave him a first, symbolic rebuff - went to Paris seeking a little vindication, a little unsullied greatness, and Macron had an easy time satisfying that need. Despite the fact that every German chancellor visits France first, Merz also wanted to make a stop in Warsaw to reaffirm that it is there - in the Weimar Triangle with these two neighbours with which Berlin shares so much history - where the core of his European activities will lie. With Ukraine and security as the priorities.”