Federal Chancellor Merz receives French President Macron
Federal Chancellor Merz said Franco-German relations are important to him personally during French President Macron’s working visit to Berlin. An important topic of the meeting was the upcoming Franco-German Ministerial Council.
1 min reading time
- Transcript of press conference
- Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Federal Chancellor Merz received French President Macron in Berlin for a working visit at Villa Borsig.
Photo: Federal Government/Jesco Denzel
After his inaugural visit to Paris 11 weeks ago, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz received French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time in Berlin on a working visit. “You know how important Franco-German relations are to me personally”, emphasised the Federal Chancellor in a statement.
He went on to say that they were founded on a close Franco-German friendship that has grown over decades. “And we both feel a great obligation to continue working on this in the coming years”, said Federal Chancellor Merz.
Close dialogue and coordinated action
The Federal Chancellor announced that preparations would be made for a Franco-German Ministerial Council in Toulon at the end of August, “at which we will meet with parts of our cabinets to discuss key issues of Franco-German cooperation”. The Federal Chancellor said that the working visit also focused on current issues relating to trade policy and common foreign and security policy.
Read the transcript of the press statements here (in German only):