Merz pleased to find broad agreement with Macron in Paris

Germany's presumptive next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, described his three-hour meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday as a great success, in which the two leaders found broad agreement.

"The similarities were even greater than I had expected," Merz, a centre-right Christian Democrat (CDU), told the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper in remarks published on Thursday.

Macron and Merz had both declared their intention to open a new chapter in Franco-German relations after their working dinner date at the Élysée Palace.

Observers had widely speculated that Macron had a frosty relationship with outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The Paris visit was Merz's first trip abroad since his CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), placed first in Sunday's national election.

Macron has not spoken publicly about what the two men discussed in their meeting, but the Frankfurter Allgemeine reported that the exchange covered all topics from defence to migration to trade policy and was extremely constructive.

Merz described the atmosphere of the talks as cordial, trusting and inspired by their mutual desire to make rapid progress in the face of major geopolitical challenges facing both countries.

After the meeting, Merz wrote in a post on X in both German and French: "Thank you, dear [Emmanuel Macron], for your friendship and your trust in Franco-German relations. Together, our countries can achieve great things for Europe."

Merz speaks French and has a close relationship with France. As a teenager, Merz was on a school exchange programme in Auvergne, and he and his family also spent several holidays in France.

During his time in the European Parliament, he is said to have learnt to appreciate the importance of the Franco-German relationship.

Macron made a hurried trip to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump earlier this week amid alarm in Europe over Trump's rowing back of security guarantees and halt to support for Ukraine in its fight against the ongoing Russian invasion.

In a Wednesday morning videoconference, Macron informed other EU leaders about his recent talks with Trump. A hastily called EU summit is scheduled for March 6, at which decisions are to be made on further support for Ukraine and steps to strengthen European defence.