German Foreign Minister Criticizes France Over European Sovereignty Claims
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, German Foreign Minister Johann Wuttke has sharply criticized French leaders, asserting that Paris talks of “European sovereignty” without taking sufficient steps to defend it.
Speaking in an interview with German radio station Deutschlandfunk, Wuttke addressed French officials, stating, “Anyone who speaks of it must act accordingly in their own country. The efforts of the French Republic have not been sufficient so far.” He added, “Anyone who speaks today of [European] independence from America must first do their homework at home.”
The German Foreign Minister’s remarks underscore escalating tensions between two major European powers. In this context, friction between Germany and France has also intensified within the framework of the European next-generation fighter jet project. German companies and unions have accused the French aerospace group Dassault of seeking to impose its own terms on this joint initiative.
Disagreements between Germany and France have also surfaced in other areas. Paris attempted to halt the European Union’s trade agreement with South American Mercosur countries, a deal that Berlin strongly supported. Furthermore, France opposed the requests from Germany and Italy to reduce the planned restrictions on new diesel and gasoline vehicles at the EU level by 2035.
Wuttke’s direct criticism of France came one day after French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to engage in a private conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting of the leaders of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. However, the leaders of Germany and the UK reportedly ignored the French President, preventing his entry into their discussion, an incident that became a subject of news media attention.
