Berlin is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the elections
By Elena G. Sevillano. The outcome of this Sunday’s French presidential election goes beyond an internal matter: much is at stake for Germany and across Europe, whichever candidate wins. Berlin’s support for Emmanuel Macron is clear: Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a letter this week together with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and Spanish President Pedro Sánchez asking for the liberal politician’s vote, without naming him, against the “Extreme right” by Marine Le Pen. The three Social Democrat leaders point out that Brexit is hurting workers, young people and the most vulnerable and call for the mistake not to be repeated.
“A Le Pen victory would be an earthquake for the entire European Union,” says Joachim Schild, professor of Franco-German relations at the University of Trier. Berlin is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the elections. There is agreement that the far-right candidate would become an unpredictable factor in European politics. It is also “a threat to the decades-long Franco-German relationship, which was at the heart of European construction and which is now, in times of crisis, more necessary than ever,” added Schild in a telephone conversation with EL PAÍS.
Not only is Le Pen clearly Eurosceptic; He has also devoted himself to fomenting anti-German sentiment in France. When the two countries renewed their historic alliance in Aachen in 2019, he accused Macron of “selling France for pieces” and of wanting to share his seat on the UN Security Council and even its nuclear weapons. He called him a traitor because he had allegedly placed the border region of Alsace under German tutelage. None of this was included in the treaty, but Le Pen’s anti-German rhetoric tends to ignore the facts in order to exaggerate the “dominion” or “submission” that Berlin exercises over Paris.
In Macron, on the other hand, one sees a reliable partner who is committed to Europe and continues to maintain good relations with Germany. During the televised debate, the candidate recalled that France had not produced its own vaccine during the pandemic – a German company – and that the French benefited from EU solidarity when purchasing together. He also mentioned the recovery fund and challenges such as climate protection or digitization, which can only be tackled within the framework of a strong and united EU.
The candidate has reduced the intensity of her attacks on Brussels and Berlin this campaign, but she has made it clear that if elected, she will end joint military cooperation projects with Germany, which include building tanks and fighter jets. A few days ago, he said he was committed to closer ties between NATO and Russia once the war in Ukraine ended, and announced that if elected, France would leave the Atlantic Alliance’s integrated military command. “Germany would lose its most important partner in European foreign policy,” says Schild. As much as he has declared that his ties with Berlin would remain “close”, the pundit believes a Le Pen victory would divert alliances towards Britain.
The national group leader’s foreign policy proposals are causing great concern in Berlin, although the media, busy reporting on the war in Ukraine and its impact on German domestic politics, are giving the French elections a secondary role. Some analysts are surprised by Germany’s “disinterest” in its neighbors’ crucial vote. “Did we take Franco-German friendship for granted?” asked an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine this week.