Macron and Merkel try to showcase EU unity as Brexit looms

Associated Press
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel as she arrives for a dinner to discuss European matters ahead of next week’s EU Summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, October 13, 2019. (Reuters)
  • The leaders on Wednesday will first visit Airbus headquarters, as a symbol of European industrial cooperation
  • The French and German delegations, including key ministers from both governments, will discuss global trade tensions

TOULOUSE: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are meeting in southern France, one day before a key EU summit that may approve a divorce deal with Britain.

The leaders on Wednesday will first visit Airbus headquarters, as a symbol of European industrial cooperation, before holding bilateral talks and a French-German Cabinet meeting in the city of Toulouse.

Macron and Merkel will discuss Brexit as EU and British officials scramble to make a deal before Thursday’s summit in Brussels — the last before the U.K’s scheduled departure from the EU on Oct. 31.

The French and German delegations, including key ministers from both governments, will also discuss global trade tensions, the fight against climate change, European defense projects and how to defend EU copyright rules, Macron’s office said.

Topics: Macron Angela Merkel