Merz to host Macron for dinner in Berlin

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to host French President Emmanuel Macron for a dinner meeting on Wednesday evening in Berlin.

It will be Macron's first visit to Germany since Merz's government took office on May 6.

Just a day after his election, Merz travelled to Paris to signal a "new start" in Franco-German relations, which had cooled significantly under former chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Both leaders now aim to build on that momentum and deepen cooperation "at all levels."

Key topics on the agenda include efforts to strengthen Europe's independence from the United States and discussions on a potential European nuclear shield — a concept that Merz's predecessor Scholz had reportedly viewed with deep scepticism.

However, key differences remain between the two sides. Paris is pushing for joint European debt to boost the continent's defence industry — a proposal Berlin rejects.

France also supports the continued use and promotion of nuclear energy, while Germany has phased it out entirely.

Disagreements persist in joint arms development as well. On the FCAS air combat system — a joint project with Spain — the two countries still have differing views over the respective involvement.

From the French perspective, the goal of Wednesday's working dinner is to prepare for the upcoming Franco-German ministerial council meeting – a joint Cabinet meeting scheduled to take place in France at the end of August.

The focus is expected to be on European competitiveness, security, and defence, as well as economic and social reform.

The dinner will take place at Villa Borsig, a lakeside residence on Lake Tegel that once belonged to the industrial Borsig family and now serves as a guest house of the German Foreign Office.