It is hard to imagine a worse time for the French-German ministerial council, set for Thursday, August 28, and Friday, August 29, when conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government and the tottering French government of Prime Minister François Bayrou are due to meet. The two governments plan to gather at Fort de Brégançon and in Toulon, southeastern France, for the 25th edition of this ritual, aimed at celebrating bilateral relations and, at times, reaching joint decisions. Yet this high-profile event is taking place just 10 days before a vote of confidence that Bayrou has scheduled in the Assemblée Nationale for September 8, the outcome of which remains uncertain.
The shadow of the political situation in France, though barely acknowledged on the German side, inevitably hangs over the meeting, which is the first of its kind for Merz's "black-red" government, a coalition uniting the conservative CDU/CSU with the Social Democrats of the SPD, in office since May 6 in Berlin. Around 10 ministers from each side are expected to attend alongside the chancellor and French President Emmanuel Macron, both eager to revive the French-German partnership, which has stalled in recent years.
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