Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on November 25, 2022 in Berlin. JOHN MACDOUGALL v AFP
There are days like that. Symptomatic moments in which a whole period of time condenses into a few hours. Friday, November 25, Matignon, landing ground for all issues and sometimes all crises, experienced an accelerated season.
Prime Minister’s breakfast in Paris with women who campaign against violence, departure for Berlin at noon to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz and discuss the sensitive issue of gas and electricity, evening at the National Assembly to face a motion of no confidence and a new 49th ,3… “We’ll need energy today,” we slipped late in the morning in Matignon. In just under twelve hours, Elisabeth Borne reconciled the hot topics that have run through all her weeks since taking office. Like a perfect summary of a turbulent time.
3 p.m. in Berlin. The French Prime Minister is welcomed by the German Chancellor. In the yard the big Christmas tree went out. Required sobriety, it will only be lit for four hours a day, compared to 24 hours a day in 2021. An hour and a half later, after a face-to-face interview, then in an enlarged format, the two heads of government issued on camera a “joint declaration of energy solidarity ” sign.
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In view of the impending shortages, “the two countries undertake to implement concrete measures of mutual support”: that is, France will, as it has done for weeks, supply gas to a Germany badly affected by Russia’s disruption to imports, and Berlin will post electricity Supply Hegagone, which is forced to import it for the first time in forty-two years due to the shutdown of many nuclear reactors. “Friends support each other in times of need,” summarizes Mr. Scholz.
Avoid the black scenario of power outages
Surrounded by her strict guard on the plane, Elisabeth Borne had refined every word of the joint statement. The result of hours of negotiations between the two countries to formalize this system, which was not due to be formalized until January 2023. The Germans wanted to ensure that this aid would not affect their ability to supply their southern regions away from the north wind farms.
“Germany and France needed this agreement and it is a good example of solidarity in the face of the crisis,” confides the Prime Minister. We have a duty to continue to show that Europe continues to protect its citizens and its businesses, as it has done during the Covid, even if at this time it can sometimes happen that we have different interests due to very different energies mixes. »
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