Olaf Scholz vs. Emmanuel Macron: an ancient animosity

“Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron have by no means favored one another,” stated Isabelle Lasserre in Le Figaro (Paris). They’ve nothing in frequent. Germany’s chancellor is an “austere Protestant” of the normal Left, and was raised within the “pacifist custom”. 

France’s president is a “spontaneous disruptor” who leads the EU’s solely nuclear state and is not afraid to make his views heard. The pair have clashed on topics from the economic system to defence to power coverage ever since Scholz got here to energy in 2021; however till now, they’ve nearly at all times discovered methods to beat crises and current a united entrance for Europe’s frequent good.

Macron the ‘warmonger’

Not, stated Stefan Meister in Le Monde (Paris). In latest months, the 2 have been embroiled in an more and more acrimonious public dispute, the catalyst for which has been their conflicting views on managing the battle in Ukraine. Berlin views Macron as a free cannon who acts with out consulting EU allies: it took explicit umbrage at his suggestion that Nato floor troops be deployed to Ukraine. Paris, for its half, is annoyed by Scholz’s refusal to ship Taurus missiles to Kyiv for concern of scary Putin, viewing it as typical of his behavior of doing “too little, too late”.

But it is a completely bogus cost: the fact is that Germany is the “second-largest provider of arms to Ukraine”, behind solely the US. France lags behind in 14th place. Possibly, however Scholz was flawed to painting Macron as a “warmonger”, stated Michaela Wiegel in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. You solely have to take a look at his document within the Sahel, the place he has in the reduction of France’s army presence. However Macron rightly views Putin as an existential menace to Europe, and needs to discourage him from additional aggression.

‘A Europe that protects’

The elemental reason behind this fallout lies throughout the Atlantic, stated Clea Caulcutt and Hans von der Burchard on Politico (Brussels): “Germany nonetheless seems to the US for safety management in Europe, France entertains visions of a ‘Europe that protects’.” However this can be a dispute that may grow to be meaningless if Donald Trump is re-elected in November. Ought to that happen, Europe faces a really actual hazard of getting to counter Putin’s aggression with out US help.

No surprise Poland’s PM Donald Tusk felt it important to carry talks with each leaders final week in a bid to revive the Weimar Triangle, an until-recently dormant alliance between the three nations. Macron and Scholz should bury their variations, agreed Christopher Ziedler in Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin). There has hardly ever been a extra essential time for European powers to talk with one voice, and this infantile spat can’t be allowed to overshadow the EU summit attributable to start in Brussels this week. If it does, you possibly can make certain that champagne corks can be “popping within the Kremlin”.