Not since 2000 under Jacques Chirac had a French president held a state visit in Germany. It was, therefore, with some anticipation that Chancellor Olaf Scholz greeted his counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, from 26 until 28 May in Berlin, Dresden and Münster, days away from the European elections and in a year marked by many Second World World commemorations. Speaking at a press conference at the end of the stay, Macron said both governments had agreed to reinforce their partnership across a number of strategic areas, including decarbonisation and the climate transition.
If these words are to signify anything other than wishful pleasantries, however, both leaders could do worse than thinking of their energy cooperation. But can the renewables enthusiasts of Berlin and atomic supporters of Paris ever see eye to eye? Despite recent quarrels on the use for nuclear power, the role of gas in the energy transition and the future of combustion engines, our French German research at Grenoble Management School and Deutsch-Französisches Institut für Umweltforschung at [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology] show that French and German citizens share surprisingly similar views on energy.
