EU: Macron & Merz Look To Downplay Rift On EU Preference At Leaders' Summit

Speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz following a bilateral discussion on the sidelines of the informal meeting of EU leaders taking place in Belgium presently, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he shares Merz's "feeling of urgency" with regard to making the EU more competitive. Says "We must go quickly...We must have very concrete decisions by June, regarding how to make Europe more competitive." 

• Politico reports "While agreeing on the need to cut red tape and diversify trade partners, France and Germany have been at odds on the rest of the bloc’s economic agenda over the past days, from eurobonds to the definition of new “Made in Europe” measures." This chimes with reporting from MNI's Policy team earlier in the week (see MNI: EU Leaders To Seek To Protect Firms, Build Scale).
• Speaking at the European Industry Summit on 11 Feb, Macron referred to Europe as a "naive continent" due to its inability or unwillingness to protect its own industrial base against competition from the US, China and elsewhere (see EU: Macron Talks Up EU Strategic Autonomy As Essential For Economic Security). However, in something of a rebuttal, Merz, speaking immediately after Macron, said Europe was neither “naive nor defenceless”. As Euractiv notes, "Merz’s response to Macron’s call for a ‘European preference’ scheme to boost domestic manufacturing was similarly direct, calling it “too narrow” while pitching a lighter “made with Europe” scheme that would also provide preferential access to EU trade partners."