It's "not good for Europe" if Germany "isolates itself," says Macron

After a meeting with Olaf Scholz in Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that it would be "not good for Europe" if Germany "isolated". Everything must be done to ensure that European unity is preserved, "and that Germany is part of it," said Macron.

"I don't think there is a problem," said Macron, referring to Franco-German relations. "I've been working on moving forward for five years," he added. He hopes to find "ways of agreement".

Germany is currently under criticism, among other things, because it rejects a European gas price cap that the majority of EU countries are calling for. France supports such a price cap, especially for gas used for electricity production. Macron spoke of "mechanisms to better separate gas and electricity prices from each other". Macron is also aiming for joint gas purchases from EU countries. "More financial solidarity is also needed," he said.

He also announced that France had reached a political agreement with Spain and Portugal on the formation of new electricity corridors for green energy sources such as hydrogen and solar power, which could also be supplied from France to Central Europe.

The project of the planned gas pipeline MidCat over the Pyrenees does not want to be pursued any further. MidCat is not economically viable and ecologically irresponsible. The ultimate goal is to better link the power grids of the Iberian Peninsula and Central Europe, especially between Barcelona and Marseille.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez later specified that the new pipeline would also be used to transport gas for a transitional period.