The gap between the once-close allies France and Germany seemingly continues to grow. After years of collaboration and support between Paris and Berlin during Angela Merkel’s tenure as Chancellor, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appear to have taken widely different stances on how to protect and boost the EU economy.
Earlier this week, Mr Macron warned that the EU “could die” if it continues with its current economic approach.
The French President added that the EU may only have three or four years to correct course before it is left behind by the US and China.
But Mr Scholz said this week that the bloc “must not harm” itself while trying to protect the continent from unfair trading practices.
The disagreement comes as Germany is poised to vote against increased tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
When France and Germany’s leaders met this week, they greeted each other warmly.
But this isn’t the first time Paris and Berlin have clashed over Chinese electric vehicles.
French Senator Ronan Le Gleut, president of the Franco-German Senate friendship group, told Politico: “We just don’t have the same interests. We don’t have the same priorities, France’s automobile industry doesn’t export in China, or very little … whereas things like the crisis at Volkswagen worry everyone in Germany.”
Nils Schmid, a German lawmaker for Mr Scholz’s ruling Social Democrats, said: “There is a geopolitical dimension — often the French accuse the Germans of not thinking about geopolitics, but there we feel that they are stuck in their Franco-French thinking.
“Impatience is growing in Germany.”
China is a crucial partner for Germany as it accounts for a large percentage of the country’s car sales.
In 2021, Germany exported 270,000 cars to China, and one in three of all German cars produced globally are sold there
Germany makes a huge €30billion (£25.12bn) a year from its car sales to China.
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