The European Union is reportedly on the brink due to a breakdown in Franco-German relations, with the two countries' leaders allegedly "hating" each other.
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The relationship between France and Germany has long been the driving force in the European project.
However, a supposed breakdown between their respective leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, has created issues.
According to French economist Jacques Regniez, that started with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The relationship between Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron have often butted heads
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He claimed the war was a "shock to the system" to the German economic model.
Regniez said: "When the Germans get angsty, their reaction is to immediately focus on their own interests first."
The economist added that Scholz's coalition took power just a few months prior to the Russian invasion, which makes the timing even worse.
Jeanette SÜẞ, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, told Le Parisien newspaper that Macron and Scholz have frequently butted heads, due to their contrasting views and styles.
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Olaf Scholz's coalition took power in Germany just a few months prior to the Russian invasion
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She said: "This... is symptomatic of deep flaws in the Franco-German relationship, even, if visibly, there is still a desire to work together, and to strengthen ties."
A French source in Brussels warned that the tension between the two leaders could not have come at a worse time.
A strong working relationship between Macron and Scholz is crucial to not just the future of Ukraine but to greater Europe as well.
The source said: "If France and Germany cannot agree on aid to Ukraine, it will be catastrophic.
A French source in Brussels warned that the tension between the two leaders could not have come at a worse time
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"Macron and Scholz have never been able to tame each other, but they need to send a positive message to the rest of Europe and overcome their personal difficulties."
Nathalie Vogel, a German academic, Russia expert and research fellow at the Institute of World Politics in Washington took it a step further.
She said: "They've been malfunctioning from the start, and now there is actual hate between them."
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