Islam Times - Macron, Scholz Call for Stronger Europe amid Trump's Return

Islam Times - The leaders of France and Germany called for a united and resilient Europe during their meeting in Paris. Marking the Elysée Treaty anniversary, they pledged to strengthen European independence amid global challenges.

According to local French media, the leaders of France and Germany agree that both countries must act for a "strong" Europe, President Emmanuel Macron said after meeting Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris on Wednesday, January 22.

According to Le Monde, at a joint news briefing with Macron at the Elysée Palace two days after President Donald Trump took office, Scholz said that the new leader of the United States "will be, and so much is already clear, a challenge." He added thet "Europe will not cower and hide, but instead be a constructive and assertive partner."

Scholz said this stance will be "the basis for good cooperation with the new American president." He added that Europe and the US are linked by "a long history of friendship and partnership," which he called "a stable foundation" for future relations. Trump, had already announced a number of policy measures "which we will, of course, analyze in detail together with our European partners," Scholz said.

The meeting between both leaders occurred on the 62nd anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, a framework for French-German bilateral relations after World War II.

"Our couple is solid," said Macron.

Macron and Scholz underlined the role of their countries' close cooperation in fostering European unity. "Europe must be strong and resilient in a world that is, to put it mildly, in motion," said Scholz, who faces a general election at home next month. "The only possible response for Europeans to the period that we are entering is more unity, more ambition, more audacity and more independence," Macron said. "This is our momentum, and this is the direction in which we are going." Macron said Europe needed not only to spend more on defense "but must also develop its own industrial base, its own capacities, its own industry."