The leaders of Germany and France published a joint article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaperBERLIN, January 20.
/tass/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, against the background of the current events in Ukraine, stressed the need to strengthen Europe, noting that the European Union (EU) is "an anchor of stability on the European continent, not least for the countries of the Western Balkans. This is stated in an article by the leaders of the two countries published on Friday in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Elysee Treaty and the Franco-German ministerial meeting to be held in Paris on Sunday.
Scholz and Macron outlined the key points for a sovereign Europe in which people can live in peace, prosperity and freedom. "The first serious task for us is to make Europe even more sovereign and have geopolitical opportunities to form an international order. For a strong Europe of tomorrow, we must now invest more in our armed forces and in the foundations of our military industry in Europe," the leaders of Germany and France wrote. This, according to them, increases the defense capability and, thus, contributes to the development of transatlantic relations.
"We will be firmly committed to an ambitious strategy to increase the competitiveness of European industry and the European environment, stimulating competition and innovation, which is a valuable common good of the EU," Scholz and Macron stressed. As for the Western Balkans, the Chancellor and the President pointed out that in the process of EU enlargement, they are looking for ways to achieve rapid and concrete progress.
"The European Union is an anchor of stability on the European continent, not least for the countries of the Western Balkans. We are striving for rapid and concrete progress in the EU enlargement process. At the same time, we must ensure that the expanded European Union remains capable, with more effective institutions and faster decision-making processes, in particular, by expanding the powers of a qualified majority of votes in the European Council," the leaders of Germany and France stated.
In order to become the first climate-neutral continent in the world, according to Scholz and Macron, it is necessary to use renewable and low-carbon energy sources, as well as hydrogen. "We will work to improve the functioning of the electricity market and will participate in joint gas purchases at the European level," Scholz and Macron summed up.
A Franco-German ministerial meeting will be held in Paris on Sunday. As expected, the main topics of discussion will be issues of economy and energy, security and defense, as well as European policy. The issue of providing further military assistance to Ukraine will also be included in the agenda. In addition to the respective Chairmen of the Parliament, the President of France and the Chancellor of Germany will make a speech.
