Macron arrives in Germany on State visit to soothe ties

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Berlin on May 26 on the first state visit to Germany by a French president in a quarter of a century, seeking to ease recent tensions and warn of the dangers of the far right ahead of European Union elections.

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Mr Macron's plane landed at a Berlin airport, according to AFP, at the start of his three-day, four-stop visit that will seek to emphasise the historic importance of the post-war relationship between the two key EU states, as France in June commemorates 80 years since the D-Day landings that marked the beginning of the end of German World War II occupation.

The visit will be watched as a check-up on the health of the German-French relationship that drives EU policymaking, at a time of major challenges for Europe, from the Ukraine war to the possible election of Donald Trump as US president in November.

Mr Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have very different leadership styles and have publicly clashed on issues, from defence to nuclear energy, since Mr Scholz took power in late 2021.

However, of late, they have reached compromises on various fronts, from fiscal reform to changes to power market subsidies, allowing the EU to strike deals, and put on a more united front.