Absent due to the semi-final of the Blues at the World Cup in Qatar, Emmanuel Macron will be represented on Wednesday by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the summit in Brussels between the European Union and Southeast Asia. “The fact of replacing each other in the event of absence is a practice of the Franco-German partnership and testifies to the closeness and trust between the two countries”, declared the French presidency.
The decision is not trivial at a time when the Franco-German tandem has posted disagreements on many issues in recent weeks, to the point of forcing Paris and Berlin to postpone, probably in January, the joint Council of Ministers initially planned in October. Since then, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz have met to try to relaunch the agreement between the two countries, often considered necessary to allow the EU to move forward.
Doha-Brussels at night
The French head of state is going to Qatar on Wednesday to watch the French team’s match against Morocco. He will then make the Doha-Brussels journey overnight to participate in the European Council scheduled for Thursday, said the Elysée.
Despite his absence, “the president’s ambition for relations with Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific in general remains unchanged”, assured his services, recalling that he had met most of the leaders of the region during a summit in Bangkok in November, and received Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Paris on Tuesday evening.