Even if the news didn’t make the headlines on TV and in the print press, the Franco-German agreement of May 18 will remain historic. It will always be mentioned when the coronavirus crisis is nothing but a distant memory in the collective consciousness.
Indeed, under the pressure of the circumstances, Germany accepted what it had been refusing for two decades: the mutualization of European debts which is, no more and no less, European solidarity. Merkel and Macron propose that Europe take out a massive loan of 500 billion euros aimed at the regions and sectors most affected by the crisis (for once no sprinkling in the style of “I want my money back”). This money will be repaid through the European budget (funded by each state according to its wealth) and the repayment will not be linked to what each country received. Therefore, we can consider this agreement as the founding act of a new European solidarity. The precise kind that was undermined by the Greek crisis and Brexit.
And as good news rarely comes alone, Germany and France will also take initiatives to ensure that the legally non-existent European health system becomes a political reality before being integrated into the Treaties.
One may not agree with the President’s domestic policy but can acknowledge that, elected on the basis of an openly pro-European platform, he has done the job. We can only hope that no one among the other 25 members of the European Union will challenge this promise of a new frontier.
