Germany

France and Germany split over Ukraine’s appeal to join NATO

International — Link

Paris is pushing for a fixed path for Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance, but Berlin is urging more caution.

French and German ministers lobby US over green subsidy plans

International — Link

Robert Habeck and Bruno Le Maire are in the US for talks on the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act - the EU argues that some of Washington's green subsidy plans are protectionist and could even risk a trade war.

France starts sending natural gas directly to Germany for first time

France — Link

Technical adjustments were necessary as the single pipeline between the two countries was originally intended only to deliver gas from Germany to France. 

Why SPD election victory in Germany is no new dawn for Europe’s social democrats

International — Analysis

Germany’s social democrat SPD party came first in the country’s parliamentary elections on September 26th, garnering just more than a quarter of votes cast. It places the centre-left party in prime position to form a new coalition government, which would see Olaf Scholz, the party’s candidate for chancellor, succeed the outgoing Angela Merkel. But, writes Fabien Escalona in this analysis of the wider implications of the election, the knife-edge victory of the once moribund SPD is very much a relative one, and is far from auguring a resurgence of the social democrat movement in Europe, despite similarly fragile recent wins in Nordic countries.

Europe's hypocrisy over Afghan refugees

International — Analysis

Most European Union countries waited until the last minute before suspending expulsions of Afghans who had sought asylum on their soil. Now that the Taliban have seized power in Kabul, the 27 EU foreign ministers are meeting this Tuesday to decide the next steps to take. A dignified welcome for Afghan exiles who have already arrived on their territory would be a first sign of solidarity, says Mediapart's Carine Fouteau.

Germany tightens Covid controls at French border over variants

France — Link

Germany's Robert Koch Institute said it would add the Moselle département in north-east France  to the list of “variant of concern” areas that already includes countries such as the Czech Republic, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

France and Germany plan €500bn recovery fund

France — Link

President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the unprecedented package after talks by video conference.

'Merkel speaks to adults...Macron talks as if we're children'

International — Interview

In an interview with Mediapart, history lecturer Johann Chapoutot, an expert on contemporary Germany and the history of the Nazis, uses the example of Germany to highlight France's failings in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He says that while the German chancellor Angela Merkel appeals to people's reason, in France “they lie to us”. Interview by Ludovic Lamant.

France joins Germany, UK to trigger dispute mechanism over Iran deal

International — Link

France, Germany and the UK have set in train a dispute mechanism allowed in a 2015 deal over Iran's nuclear programme, following Tehran's decision to remove limits to its production of enriched uranium which can be used in the making of nuclear weapons.

French football authorities fail to get onside to help young migrants integrate

France — Investigation

In the Paris region, western France and the French Alps, local initiatives are springing up to help young migrants, many of them unaccompanied minors, to get involved in football to help them integrate and find their feet in their new country. These projects are similar to a much-larger initiative that began in Germany in 2015 when that country took in nearly one million refugees. But as Mickaël Correia reports, the sport's ruling body in France - the French Football Federation - is doing nothing to help the process.

Poland's past colonial dreams shed light on East and Central European regimes of today

International

An exhibition in Paris reveals Poland's now forgotten colonial ambitions in the 1930s. In doing so, it makes a link between past Polish attitudes to colonies and other peoples and the racist reflexes of some governments in Central and Eastern Europe today. Ludovic Lamant reports.

EU Commission : France and Germany differ on Brussels' top job

France — Link

Angela Merkel wants centre-right candidate Manfred Weber as next EU Commission president but Emmanuel Macron favours other candidates.

French more pessimistic than Germans about future, survey shows

France — Link

Study also shows French are significantly more critical than Germans of government and public services, and distrustful of EU and globalisation.

Paris, Berlin add pressure on Warsaw over Polish judiciary reforms

International — Link

At a meeting of European Union (EU) ministers on Tuesday, France and Germany said they were concerned over reforms of the Polish judicial system, which are regarded as politically intimidating for the country's courts and a threat to their independence, voicing their support for EU Commission infringement procedures which could in theory result in Poland losing its EU voting rights.

France and Germany set up parliamentary assembly

France — Link

The 100-member Franco-German assembly, which implements the new Aachen treaty, met for its first biannual summit in Paris.