Macron, Merkel hold crucial talks

FRANKFURT: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel consulted on Sunday on migration, fixing the euro currency, Europe’s defence, taxing digital companies and other issues as the two leaders looked to preserve their influence abroad while their authority flags at home.

Macron, who came to Berlin to take part in Germany’s national Remembrance Day for the victims of war and dictatorship, urged European government to seize more responsibility for their own fate, especially regarding defence.

Macron said that the Frenchgerman alliance “is invested with this obligation not to allow the world to slide into chaos, and to accompany it on the road of peace”.

He said that Europe can’t play its role “if it doesn’t take more responsibility for its defence and security and is content to play a secondary role on the international scene”.

The two biggest countries in Europe can be a powerful force, but their leaders at the moment are hampered by falling domestic support.

Macron has seen his poll ratings sag at home, where more than a quarter million people protested on Saturday over proposed gas tax hikes.

Merkel has been a lame duck since saying she wouldn’t seek another term.

Merkel has offered support for Macron’s proposal for a European army. Both leaders have said Europe needs to depend less on others - such as the US - for its defence.

US President Donald Trump has unsettled NATO allies by demanding member countries either pay more for defence or “protect themselves”, as he put it in a recent tweet.

However, ceremonial appearances and warm words offered ahead of a December summit on the euro can’t hide the persistent friction between the French and German approaches to the European Union’s economic issues. Germany and France have apparently struck a deal on a common budget for the EU countries that use the shared euro currency, something Macron pushed for.