This weekend France and Germany celebrate a treaty that was born in discord and remains the manifestation of their continued disagreements. Yet celebrating the Franco-German myth remains an imperative of realpolitik.

Germany is in the middle of a vibrant debate about its future foreign policy and to what extent to help Urkaine. In France, Macron decides alone. Strangely, two different political cultures produce the same policy results.

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.