Macron, Merkel aim to air united stance in Trump era

Berlin, November 18 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Berlin on Sunday in a show of unity against rising populism in the era of US President Donald Trump.

At their second meeting in a week, the two once again raised the idea of establishing a European army as a symbol of a united continent, a proposal that has raised Trump’s hackles.

Macron’s visit comes a week after world leaders met in Paris to commemorate the end of World War I a century ago and marks Germany’s Day of Mourning for victims of war and dictatorship.

After a wreath-laying ceremony, Macron addressed the German Parliament-housed in the glass-domed Reichstag still bearing the scars of World War II-in the first speech by a French leader to the assembly in 18 years. Macron and Merkel are both committed pro-Europeans.

As the world has remembered World War I, which ended a century ago this month, Macron has repeatedly invoked its horrors to drive home the message that rising nationalism is again destabilising the world.

Macron and Merkel have proposed a European army that would operate within NATO, an idea Trump has mocked by tweeting that “it was Germany in World Wars One & Two. How did that work out for France?” 

While strong on symbolism, the Franco-German partnership and European reform push have been plagued by policy differences and the domestic troubles of the two leaders. — AFP