Berlin and Paris have been forced to postpone a long-awaited bilateral summit amid disagreements over key policy areas such as defense and energy.
Politico writes about it.
Just a day before a crucial EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, where leaders are expected to spar over how to respond to soaring energy prices, Germany and France announced that the annual Franco-German ministerial council, scheduled for next Wednesday in Fontainebleau, south of Paris, will be postponed to January.
Officially, both sides stated that "difficulties on the agenda of some ministers" caused the unexpected postponement of the bilateral meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.
At least five of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's ministers, including Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock, complained that the next environment would fall on a rare week when they could have time off with their children, as they would have school holidays.
"This, however, appears to be an unconvincing argument when war is raging on the continent, the publication notes.
Officials from both sides said talks between Paris and Berlin were particularly difficult on energy issues such as the construction of the Midcat pipeline from the Iberian Peninsula to northern Europe.
The two countries are also at odds over French demands to impose price caps on gas and electricity, and on defense issues such as the joint Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter technology.
Germany's self-styled approach to injecting 200 billion euros into the German economy to cushion the effects of rising energy prices has also sparked anger in France, which believes Berlin should have consulted its allies about such large-scale payments that could affect the market.
An Elysee Palace official confirmed that defense and energy were two areas where progress was needed, and that Macron and Scholz would set a date for their next bilateral meeting when they meet in Brussels on Thursday.
Joint meetings of the Franco-German government have been held since 2003 at least once a year, but in 2020 they were canceled and in 2021 they were held only by video conference due to the coronavirus pandemic.
