Emmanuel Macron has begun the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 24 years, to boost ties between the two countries and to emphasize the importance of defending democracy against nationalism in upcoming European elections.
“Franco-German relations are indispensable and important for Europe,” said Macron at the start of his three-day state visit to Germany on May 26. He rebuffed the suggestion that the relationship, often described as the engine of Europe, has begun to stutter.
The French president also emphasized the importance of the European elections in June and called the European Union a defender of democracy and common values. He warned of a “form of fascination for authoritarianism which is growing” in the two EU nations. “We forget too often that it’s a fight” to protect democracy, Macron said. The German president too noted how rights “did not fall from the sky,” saying they need to be fought for.
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