“The implementation plan has to move as quickly as possible and as vigorously as possible,” Macron said. “This is crucial for us — it is vital — just as it is for Europe.”
Merz underscored that urgency. “Work between Germany and France is essential at a time when Russia threatens our security, when the People’s Republic of China poses a challenge to our economy and when the transatlantic partnership is no longer taken for granted,” the German leader said.
The prospect of France’s next president coming from the far-right National Rally has cast a shadow over Franco-German relations for months.
EU countries last year began racing to get a deal done on the MFF by the end of 2026 over fears that Le Pen, a Euroskeptic who has vowed to drastically slash Paris’ contributions to the EU budget, could win France’s 2027 presidential elections. Surveys currently place Le Pen as the front-runner.
When asked about the possibility of a far-right successor undoing the agreements struck Thursday and Friday, Macron said “be wary of polls,” citing his experience as a dark-horse candidate who was not expected to win the race for the Elysée at the outset of his first presidential campaign. “Trust the French people. Don’t always predict the worst for them,” he said.
Merz said Germany “will continue to do everything we can to ensure that our cooperation with our French neighbors remains as close, deep, and trusting as possible.”