A ministerial meeting between France and Germany, which was postponed last autumn amid reports of a cooling in bilateral relations, is to take place this Sunday, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Elysee Treaty which led to the reconciliation between the two previously hostile neighboring states.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and members of both parliaments will meet in Paris to discuss economic and energy issues and European and defense policies, according to Berlin and Paris.The meeting was originally supposed to take place in October 2022, but was abruptly canceled, with Germany citing the need for further coordination on the main topics of discussion. On that occasion, France announced that key topics such as defense and energy would still have to be discussed sometime. The Franco-German summit this Sunday will start with a ceremony at the Sorbonne University, which will mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Elysee Treaty between French leader Charles de Gaulle and German Konrad Adenauer, on the 22 January 1963, and at which Macron and Scholz would give a speech.

The 23rd Franco-German Council of Ministers, which brings together the cabinets of both countries, will take place on Sunday afternoon and conclude with a joint statement on the future of Europe. Later, the leaders of the two countries will have dinner together.The main topic of the meeting is expected to be the war in Ukraine, but other important topics will include cooperation within the European Union and NATO.Paris declared that it does not expect a solution on Sunday regarding the controversial issue of Germany’s delivery of a certain type of battle tanks to Ukraine, dpa notes.As far as economic topics are concerned, energy cooperation would be the main point of discussion. Both sides emphasized that Franco-German relations are characterized by a common starting point and close cooperation. Paris even said that the French authorities are so used to cooperating with Berlin that it is immediately obvious when things are not working.The meeting in Paris also aims to give a new impetus to the Franco-German partnership.The first participants in the newly created “Generation Europe” network for young German and French professionals are to be presented. A Franco-German train ticket for young people, which will make rail travel cheaper, will also be launched on the occasion.Ahead of Sunday’s meeting, Scholz and Macron declared their will to strengthen Europe in an article sent for publication to the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Against the background of the war in Ukraine, both leaders listed the key elements of a sovereign Europe where people can live in peace, prosperity and freedom.”For a strong Europe of tomorrow, we must now invest more in our armed forces and in the bases of our defense industry in Europe”, wrote the two European leaders.This – they continued – improves defense capabilities and also makes Europe a stronger partner for the United States.”We will strongly support an ambitious strategy to promote the competitiveness of European industry and a European environment that encourages competition and innovation,” wrote Scholz and Macron.The two leaders also emphasized that they are making efforts to achieve rapid and concrete progress regarding the enlargement process of the European Union.”At the same time, we must ensure that an enlarged European Union remains capable of action, with more efficient institutions and faster decision-making processes, especially by expanding the qualified majority,” wrote Macron and Scholz, in a reference to countries from the Western Balkans, at different stages of the long EU accession process.

By Ovidiu Stanica