Pariscope

Why are Paris and Berlin currently so at odds with each other? The simple answer is: Scholz’ EU strategy is a copycat of Macron’s. But Europe can’t take two Macrons.

For Olaf Scholz, the war in Ukraine underlines the urge to advance with EU enlargement and institutional reform. Emmanuel Macron is hesitant about both—and for once finds himself on the defensive of the European agenda.

President Emmanuel Macron’s loss of a majority in France’s parliament means that little will get done in terms of domestic policy in the coming years. This could be excellent news for France.

The French still enjoy a comparably solid social safety net. Looking closely at Emmanuel Macron's victory, it was this welfare state that helped him get reelected. And it makes the upcoming pension reform all the more challenging.

The price of French President Emmanuel Macron’s likely historic electoral success will be the uncertainty about what follows when he leaves the scene in five years.

The French president’s speech last week drew much undeserved criticism. In the Ukraine crisis, Paris may be Washington's most demanding partner, but it is also proving to be its most reliable one. 

Unlike 2017, the upcoming presidential election won’t be about whether France should remain in the EU. But it might turn into a debate about what France should do within it.

Foreign journalists wield extraordinary influence in France. That’s partly because the foreign media is integral to President Macron’s economic and foreign policy strategy.

Paris has learned to advance its EU agenda with whatever government emerges in Berlin.

French voters often punish their presidents by refusing them reelection. However, Emmanuel Macron’s brand of relatively unideological third way politics seems to resonate with the electorate. His chances of securing a second term look good.

French President Emmanuel Macron wants insurance against Chinese hegemony. Therefore, Paris is seeking cooperation with Delhi and Canberra and pushing Berlin to Europeanize economic relations with Beijing.

The French president is strengthening his military and wants Berlin to do the same. But real “sovereignty” in security is for the future. When it comes to getting stuff done, Emmanuel Macron is betting on the United States rather than Germany.