Macron's historic visit marks the French President's first visit to Germany since 2000

Emmanuel Macron arrived in Germany for a state visit attended by the Franco-German Council of Ministers, a trip designed to demonstrate unity among all countries ahead of European elections.

Macron was received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and received military honors at the presidential palace, Schloss Bellevue. The trip by the French President and his wife to Berlin, Dresden and Münster is the first state visit by a French leader to Germany since Jacques Chirac in 2000.

It's an opportunity to assess the relationship between many of Europe's biggest economic powers at a time when the continent is grappling with the challenges of climate change, the situation in Ukraine and the possible re-election of Donald Trump to the White House in November.

At an earlier ceremony in Berlin with Steinmeier, Macron hailed Franco-German friendship and attacked nationalism, "which is attractive" to a growing part of the population in France and Germany.

Since German Chancellor Olaf Scholz came to power in 2021, Paris and Berlin have clashed openly over security issues. However, a number of compromises have recently been reached, particularly on electricity market subsidies.