Scholz, Macron reaffirm partnership on chancellor's 1st visit

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed their two countries' partnership on Friday as Scholz visited Paris for the first time since taking office.

"It is about how we can make Europe strong, European sovereignty in all its dimensions. It's about economic issues, security issues and foreign policy issues," Scholz said on meeting Macron at the Elysee Palace.

"It is important that we act in the same direction, that we work together," Scholz said. "And that's why this was not just a friendly visit, but one that immediately addressed in a very concrete way all the issues that will be at stake in the near future."

Macron responded: "We have manifested the will to work together." Close cooperation should continue as it had with Scholz's predecessor, Angela Merkel.

The two leaders discussed European cooperation, climate change, digitalization and migration.

On the issue of migration, Macron said it was a matter of better protecting the EU's external borders, increasing efficiency in the fight against illegal migration and smuggling networks, and improving cooperation with the countries of origin.

Migrants without the right to stay must be returned to their home countries. At the same time, the right to asylum must be upheld.

Macron repeated French calls for a relaxation of the Maastricht criteria that restrict government debt and spending in order to boost future investments in the EU to secure growth and jobs.

To achieve this, investments had to be be made in innovative, green and digital sectors that strengthened Europe's sovereignty, he said, calling for a pragmatic approach.

Flexibility and new rules were needed, with clear budgetary rules to be respected by the euro countries, Macron said. Implementing this would be the topic of debate in the coming months.

The president referred to the EU's 750-billion-euro (850-billion-dollar) reconstruction fund to tackle the coronavirus crisis, which had been launched in defiance of the Maastricht rules limiting public debt in the euro area.

Turning to the tense situation on Ukraine's border with Russia, Scholz called on Moscow to respect international borders.

"We all see the situation on the Ukrainian border with concern," he said after meeting Macron. "Of course, there is mutual clarity on the fact that the inviolability of European borders is among the principles that everyone in Europe must accept for common security," he added.

While the two leaders stressed cooperation, there are also clear points of difference between their governments. Germany is opposing French moves to have nuclear power declared "green energy" for investment purposes.

And there is persistent unease in EU capitals over the recently completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipe linking Germany directly with Russia, which is awaiting approval from German regulators.

Following his visit to Paris, Scholz was to to travel to Brussels to introduce himself to the European Union and NATO. As finance minister for the past four year's in Merkel's broad coalition, Scholz is a well-known figure at EU headquarters.