The French President, Emmanuel Macron, will make his first state visit to Germany in July, according to a joint announcement by the two countries on Monday. This visit comes in the context of ongoing tensions between France and Germany on issues such as energy and relations with China.
Macron will visit Germany from July 2-4 at the invitation of the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, “to honor the close friendship between the two countries on the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty” on bilateral relations. It will be the first state visit by a French president in 23 years.
Macron will visit “several regions of Germany” to “underline the unique relations between our states, our citizens, and particularly German and French youth.” Berlin said that “this special event marks the beginning of a new chapter in the friendship that has united the two countries for decades.”
The German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, will travel to Paris this week to prepare for the visit, according to the French presidency. In addition, Macron will travel to Potsdam, near Berlin, on June 6 to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to prepare for a series of key European-level meetings, such as a meeting on a new global financial pact, the European Council, and the NATO summit in July.
The French presidency also announced a joint meeting in the autumn for “even closer dialogue between the two countries.” These announcements come after months of friction between the two governments on various issues, such as nuclear energy, which Germany is gradually phasing out while France is accelerating the construction of reactors, and diplomatic relations.
Macron caused controversy last month after a visit to China, saying that Europe should not follow the positions of either Washington or Beijing regarding Taiwan. The German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, described these comments as “unfortunate.”