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News > World

Macron Visits Germany on First French State Visit in 24 Years

  • French president Emmanuel Macron (left) and his Germany counterpart, the president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

    French president Emmanuel Macron (left) and his Germany counterpart, the president Frank-Walter Steinmeier. | Photo: X/ @leadersmena

Published 26 May 2024
Opinion

On Monday, the president will travel on Monday to Dresden, in eastern Germany, where he is expected to deliver an important speech on the future of Europe.

Despite Emmanuel Macron have visit Berlin several times, this is the first official visit of a French head of State to Germany in 24 years, since the Jacques Chirac's trip in 2000.

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Followed by a bilateral cabinet meeting, the trip seeks to demonstrate unity between the two major powers of the European Union ahead of the bloc’s parliamentary elections next month. The exchange therefore aims to ease political tensions and warn of the dangers of the far right.

The visit of the French leader comes when Germany celebrates the 75th anniversary of its Constitution, in addition to the 35 years of the Peaceful Revolution that preceded the end of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and two weeks after the European elections to be held on June 3rd.

During his meeting with German president Frank Walter-Steinmeier, Macron said Western is living a democracy crisis and an "ambiguous moment that feeds nationalisms and extremes," referring to the current rise of nationalist and extremist movements in European countries such as Portugal, Spain, France and Germany.

Macron hard criticized the French far-right party National Rally (NR) which he says it is no "another political party" and said he would work to "unmask" France's far-right NR, saying that "nothing in their rhetoric holds water", addinng that despite NR is survey in polls he sees this party and its ideas as a threat to Europe."

"I’m going to get involved in the European debate as president to unmask the ideas of the NR", Macron said in the gardens of the residence of the German head of state, presenting himself as a "great defender of pluralism" The French president explained the reasons that led him to raise a debate recently with the leader of the NR, Marine Le Pen.

On Monday, the president will travel on Monday to Dresden, in eastern Germany, where he is expected to deliver an important speech on the future of Europe. Meanwhile, he is expected to visit Münster (western Germany) on Tuesday, where he will receive the Westphalian International Peace Prize from Steinmeier.

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