Germany and France want to further strengthen Europe’s ability to act, especially in foreign and security policy.

This was stated by the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron. The latter made his first visit abroad in his second term on Monday in Berlin.

Both politicians assured that a signal should be sent to the countries of the Western Balkans to link them more closely with the European Union. “We live up to our membership promises,” Scholz said.

Macron came up with a new proposal, which he presented during a speech in Strasbourg, a few hours before his meeting with German Chancellor Scholz: The creation of a European body, whose members may also be non-EU countries. as countries of the Western Balkans, Ukraine or the United Kingdom.

Macron argued: The European Union needed accelerated procedures to grant these countries candidate status, citing Ukraine as an example, but also countries in the Western Balkans that do not yet meet EU economic or constitutional standards, “but are ready to join us ”. This would require political formats. But he added that there are also countries like the UK, which simply do not want to be members of the EU.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the proposal interesting. But he stressed that the enlargement process should not be abandoned. In his opening remarks, he reiterated his call for the lifting of the blockade, clearly addressing Bulgaria, but without mentioning the latter: “The current blockades must be overcome for the sake of responsibility to Europe and geostrategic reason”, given  Bulgaria’s current blockade of North Macedonia in the process of opening negotiations, Scholz also underlined Ukraine’s European perspective.

North Macedonia should not be disappointed

Citing North Macedonia as an example, Scholz argued that there are countries that have made very courageous decisions, and that should be rewarded. That courage should not be disappointed, he said. Scholz and Macron warned they would hold a joint Franco-German summit with the Western Balkan countries in June.

The two politicians said that in the future they will coordinate closely on supporting Ukraine, both militarily and on the possibility of an embargo. Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels from Russia should also be limited. “We are experiencing an epochal turn.” Franco-German friendship is more important than ever. “Europe can only succeed united,” he said.(DW)

/Klara Ruci/