While the people of France and Germany have a largely positive image of the other country, that does not mean that they know or feel a particular empathy for each other.
To ensure the most effective industrial policy in the EU, Paris and Berlin should push for policies that build on their strengths and help Europe leap forward instead of always chasing the United States and China.
In the green resource race, the United States and the EU should look to the big island in the North Atlantic and forge a common approach, providing expertise and facilitating the needed investments.
The recent conclusion of a Russia-North Korea pact is likely to unnerve China even more than the building of a Japan-South Korea-United States alliance.
The far right won’t play kingmaker when it comes to deciding on whether von der Leyen is reappointed as European Commission president, but they are still a stronger force in the new European Parliament.
