Leaders in France and Germany have stated that they want to construct a Europe with stronger military capabilities.
In a joint column published by the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the French weekly Journal du Dimanche, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for greater investment in Europe’s armed forces and defense industry to improve the continent’s military capabilities.
They said that this would also boost transatlantic relations.
“Sixty years after the signing of the Elysee Treaty (on January 22, 1963, between French President Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer), France and Germany agree on the basic concerns touching Europe’s destiny,” Marcon and Scholz said.
“We share the same goal: a resilient, powerful, and sovereign European Union. Even when we disagree, we are more committed than ever to find common solutions, solutions that we wish to discuss with our European allies.”
“We must ensure that future generations of Europeans will be able to live on a continent where peace, prosperity, and freedom flourish,” they continued.