Speakers:
Gesine Weber, Fellow, Geostrategy Team, German Marshall Fund (GMF), Paris Office
Jacob Ross, Research Fellow, France/Franco-German Relations, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Chair: Henning Hoff, Executive Editor, Internationale Politik Quarterly
In our third IPQ Debate we will further explore the Franco-German relationship, a key theme from our Summer 2024 issue.
France is still enjoying the afterglow of hosting a hugely successful Olympic Games. However, political realities – postponed for their duration – are now quickly reestablishing themselves. At present, France only has a care-taker government after an inconclusive snap parliamentary election in late June brought deadlock rather than clarity. Meanwhile, in Germany, the ruling three-way “traffic light” coalition will soon enter what is likely to be its final year in office. While the Franco-German relationship was once known as the indispensable “motor” of European integration, it has declined in recent years – especially under the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose political outlooks and styles continue to differ wildly. Our panelists will take stock of the Franco-German “motor” and debate ways of getting it going again.