merkel Voices Disagreement โwith Macron’s Day of German Unityโฃ Address
Saarbrรผcken, โGermany – Former German Chancellor angela Merkel has reportedly expressed reservations regarding French President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to address the central Day ofโฃ German Unity celebrations โคin Saarbrรผcken, according to โsources familiar with the matter. The disagreement centers on โขMacron’s focus on European โฃdefence โขcapabilitiesโ andโ a perceived questioning of the โtransatlantic โrelationship during his speech.
Macron, speakingโ on October 3rd -โ the 33rd โanniversary โขof German reunification – calledโ for a moreโ self-reliant european defense posture,โข stating the moment of recovery had come. he emphasized the need โขfor Europe to “decide to no longer be dependentโฆto not only buy but also produce,” referencingโ projects like theโ Franco-German fighter jet FCAS, currently facing internal โขchallenges. Heโ furtherโข suggested Europe must choose โbetween remainingโ aโ “vassal” or โbecoming a “military power,” not to โคwageโ war,โ but to deter aggression.
The Day of German โUnity marks the 1990 โฃreunification of East and West Germany, achieved under theโฃ West German Basic Law following theโ peaceful revolutionโ in the GDR and the opening of โthe German-German border. Celebrations, organized by the stateโค of Saarlandโ as the current Federal Council โคpresidency, included a citizens’ festival, art,โ music,โ and discussions under the mottosโข “future through change” and “celebrate โคwhat connects โus.”
Recent surveysโ indicate a degree of disillusionment with theโ state of German unity. A YouGov pollโ found โ30 percentโ of โคrespondents believe East andโฃ West Germansโ are more divided than united, while aโ ZDFโ “polite barometer” revealed 47 percentโค in โthe Westโ and 57 percent in the East feel reunification’s problemsโ remain largelyโ unsolved. Despite this, an โฃARD “Germany trend” โshowed 61 percent are satisfied with โthe state โof German unity.