Two personal meetings, military honors, a pompous state banquet: US President Joe Biden courts his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a way that is rarely the case with European heads of state and government. The signal: The US government considers the President of France to be the most important representative of Europe – and not the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
But what did it bring? Apparently, there is hardly anything substantial to report, but all the more platitudes: they assured each other of the “great friendship”, they “synchronize the next steps”, they share the “same visions”.
Yes, there should be a new working group, although there has long been one with the Transatlantic Trade and Technology Council. Boundless need for harmony.
The curious thing is that it is primarily France that is calling for a European counter-attack in the subsidy dispute over the Inflation Reduction Act. What appears legitimate at first glance, because the multi-billion dollar green investment program is undoubtedly protectionism, which the USA is not even trying to disguise, is at second glance at least strategically questionable – especially from a German perspective.
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The USA is by far the largest destination country for German exporters, and the Federal Republic would have much more to lose than France in an escalating trade conflict. In contrast to Paris, correspondingly cautious tones are coming from Berlin, apart from Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens).
Macron will also know that a tangible dispute with the USA during the Ukraine war would be the worst possible scenario. After all, Europe is once again experiencing its security dependency on its big brother across the Atlantic.
The Americans know the precarious situation of the Europeans – which is why they will hardly be willing to make substantial concessions in the subsidies dispute. At most, a time extension is possible so that European companies can relocate their supply chains to the USA in an orderly manner. Biden and Macron – they are united at best in their protectionist stance.
In any case, Biden’s priorities are clear: first domestic policy, second China – and then perhaps Europe comes at a great distance.
Although the mandate for this clearly lies with the EU Commission, Europe is finding it incredibly difficult to present a united front anyway. The years of tugging in the negotiations with the Latin American Mercosur countries or with Canada over the Ceta agreement, which was ratified by the Bundestag on Thursday, are symptomatic of this.
>> Read here: The Stranger Friend – Is a trade war looming between the US and the EU?
It is therefore all the more important that Europe now finds a voice in trade policy. The big question remains whether Macron was really traveling as a traveling salesman in the interest of Europe as a whole.
More: Trade dispute between the EU and the USA before escalation: Paris calls for a tough reaction