French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday (December 10) welcomed Germany's new chancellor Olaf Scholz for an inaugural working meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.
The two most powerful EU leaders will begin the search for common ground to tackle crises within the bloc and beyond.
Heading the agenda, French officials say, will be tensions over Ukraine, which U.S. officials believe could face a Russian invasion early next year, and Macron's priorities for France's six-month European Union presidency, which starts on Jan. 1.
Macron developed a friendly relationship with Scholz's long-time predecessor Angela Merkel, who broke with German tradition by backing unprecedented joint debt-raising efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
French diplomats appear optimistic over the outlook for ties with Germany under Scholz, citing the "strategic sovereignty" in the coalition deal that took him to power that they say echoes Macron's push for European "strategic autonomy."
Another key issue is how to finance a transition towards greener energy and whether nuclear energy and natural gas can be considered by the EU as renewable - and hence subsidisable - sources.