Germany's Scholz plans to visit Macron in Paris next week

Despite the postponement of the first Franco-German Council of Ministers since Angela Merkel stepped down as Chancellor, German leader Olaf Scholz is set to travel to Paris next Wednesday to meet President Emmanuel Macron.
A meeting with Macron, followed by lunch and a press conference are planned, government sources told dpa on Thursday.
Scholz will then travel on to Athens for his inaugural visit.
On Wednesday, the Franco-German Council of Ministers, a regular meeting of both governments was postponed until January.
The Council was supposed to take place in Fontainebleau near Paris.
German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said the reason for the postponement was, apart from clashing schedules between ministers, a need for further coordination on "bilateral issues".
The Elyseé Palace said that the important topics of defence and energy need to be discussed further and both governments jointly decided that these topics merited more time. The postponement of the ministerial meeting should not be seen as a clouding of Franco-German relations, French representatives added.
In the field of defence, for example, the German government seeks to equip its Air Force with US F-35 fighter jets, an idea which has been criticized by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
Germany is also looking to develop its hydrogen strategy to gain more self-sufficiency in Europe's energy supply.
This is an issue France is also exploring, given its approval of a new hydrogen gas pipeline between France, Germany and Spain, the Green Energy Corridor.
Scholz had already met with Macron on Thursday before the EU summit in Brussels. However, this meeting mainly regarded the preparation of consultations with the other 25 heads of state and government.