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It was a far cry from the barbs Macron traded with Boris Johnson when he was in Downing Street. The French foreign minister at the time, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said France had been "stabbed in the back". Macron's hardball tactics to ensure French fishermen got a good deal had made him the bete noire of British tabloids. But even before news of the AUKUS deal he was incensed by Johnson's decision to leak details of their conversation to the press, a French official said. A French official let out a sigh of relief after it wrapped up: "It went well, didn't it?"

As part of the new deal, Britain will help fund a detention centre in France while Paris will deploy more French personnel and enhanced technology to patrol its beaches. Officers from both countries will also look to work with countries along the routes favoured by people traffickers. The funding package will be paid in instalments, with Britain paying 125 million pounds in 2023-24. Britain said France would contribute significantly more. Later this month, King Charles will also travel to France on his first state visit as monarch.

Ties which have often been rocky since Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016 have been fortified by the countries' support for Ukraine since Russia's invasion. "The partnership the UK and France share runs deep," Sunak said on Twitter. "From tackling illegal migration to driving growth in our economies to defending our common security, when we work together we all benefit. The Times newspaper said he would announce Britain was providing funding to France to invest in police, security and intelligence. The payments were expected to exceed 200 million pounds over three years, the report said, citing unnamed sources.

☆ Macron says he won't let France become 'ideal scapegoat' in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he will not allow France to become "the ideal scapegoat" in Africa, in a speech ahead of a trip to the continent from Wednesday. Some African countries have criticised France for failing to curb Islamist militancy in the Sahel region in particular. Macron also said he refused to be drawn into an outdated competition between powers for control of Africa. He will travel to Gabon, Angola, République of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo. Reporting by Michel Rose, Layli Foroudi; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Macron flies to Africa to counter waning French influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will fly to Africa this week in a bid to counter Russian efforts to dislodge France from the continent, after Paris suffered a series of military and political setbacks in its former sphere of influence. France withdrew its forces from Mali last year after the junta there started working with Russian military contractors, ending a decade of operations against Islamist insurgents. Macron has accused Russia of feeding anti-French propaganda in Africa to serve "predatory" ambitions. But French presidential advisers denied in a briefing on Friday that Macron was in a charm offensive to win back lost influence. During the trip, Macron will focus on the environment, with a participation to a summit on forests in Gabon, and will also meet African artists.

☆ France's Macron calls Wagner Group 'life insurance of failing regimes' in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday described the Russian mercenary Wagner Group as the "life insurance of failing regimes in Africa", in comments made before he visits the continent. He said that African nations would eventually stop turning to the Wagner Group as they would see that it only sows misery. Reporting by Michel Rose, Layli Foroudi; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Pension reform strikes tell story of French work malaise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The reform could yield an extra 17.7 billion euros ($19.18 billion) in annual pension contributions to plug the government's funding gap, according to Labour Ministry estimates. The 35-hour work week, introduced in 2000, is exacerbating the current malaise, labour experts say. French productivity was also ahead of Germany's $67.06 and Italy's $53.66, according to OECD figures. He once said he didn't like the word "strenuous" when applied to work because "it implied that work is painful." "Pension reform was a red line for me," she said.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy tells France, Germany to provide 'game changing' weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrive to give a joint statement, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/PoolPARIS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - France and Germany have the opportunity to be "game changers" in the war against Russia by not hesitating in delivering heavy weapons and modern fighter jets to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said during a visit to Paris on Wednesday. I'm talking now about the weapons needed for peace and to stop the war started by Russia," Zelenskiy said. "France and Germany have the potential to be game changers and that's how I see our talks today. The sooner we get heavy long range weapons and our pilots get modern planes ... the quicker this Russian aggression will end."

France, which relies on its aging nuclear fleet to generate electricity, is leading a campaign to count hydrogen made using nuclear power -- known as "red" hydrogen -- in the EU's new renewable energy targets, which currently focus on green hydrogen made using electricity from renewable sources. After much foot-dragging, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to the hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille in October, a deal formalised at a summit with Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in Barcelona in January. In Madrid, officials say the row is a "misunderstanding" and they are willing to be flexible on red hydrogen in other legislation such as the gas market directive, but not in the renewables bill. "Red hydrogen cannot be renewable because nuclear is not an energy that can be considered as such. France wants this to include its red hydrogen but it must first be designated as renewable.

☆ Airbus and Qatar Airways settle bitter A350 jet row
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The "amicable and mutually agreeable settlement" ends a $2 billion row over surface damage on the long-haul jets. The spat led to the withdrawal of billions of dollars' worth of jet deals by Airbus and prompted Qatar to increase purchases from Boeing. The deal heads off what amounted to an unprecedented public divorce trial between heavyweights in the normally tight-knit and secretive $150 billion jet industry. Airbus' decision to revoke that order, separate from the disputed A350 contract, had been criticised by global airlines group IATA. Airbus said it had done its best to avoid pushing Qatar too far back in the queue.

☆ Airbus and Qatar edge towards agreement in A350 dispute - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows the Qatar Airways' airbus A350 parked outside Qatar Airways maintenance hangar in Doha, Qatar, June 20, 2022. REUTERS/Imad CreidiPARIS, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) and Qatar Airways are edging towards an agreement to settle a bitter dispute over grounded A350 jets, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. "There will be an agreement," one of the sources said, while another cautioned that the talks were still ongoing. Airbus and Qatar Airways had no immediate comment. The dispute between two of aviation's largest players has led to the unprecedented cancellation of large-scale orders from Airbus, and extra business for its U.S. rival Boeing (BA.N).

☆ France braces for second nationwide strike against pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"This reform is unfair and brutal," Luc Farre, the secretary general of the civil servants' UNSA union told Reuters. "Moving (the pension age) to 64 is going backwards, socially." Opinion polls show a majority of French oppose the reform, but President Emmanuel Macron and his government intend to stand their ground. The reform is "vital," Macron said on Monday during a visit to the Netherlands, adding that it would allow the pension system to keep working. Borne said the government was looking at the impact of the reform on the additional pension rights women normally get for having children.

☆ Macron campaign accounts cleared by French audit body
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron's 2022 election campaign finances, which came under scrutiny amid a wider controversy linked to U.S. consultancy McKinsey's ties to his government, were cleared by an audit commission, the body saidon Friday. The independent state body said it had received two tips about alleged irregularities in Macron's re-election campaign accounts which cited "irregular" assistance from unspecified consultancies, but said they appeared to be unfounded. Macron has said his campaign accounts had been flawless and that, as president, he does not directly deal with public tenders, adding: "The core of the investigation is not about me." With his campaign accounts now cleared and confirmation he did not break the legal ceiling applied to presidential election spending, Macron will get back about 10.4 million euros ($11.30 million) from the state towards his campaign spending. All the other contenders in the 2022 presidential election had their campaign accounts cleared by the state body.

☆ Analysis: Italy's Meloni belies radical image in cautious first 100 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But almost 100 days since Meloni took office at the head of the most right-wing government Italy has seen since World War Two, these concerns have largely melted away. "We have seen something of a metamorphosis," said Sofia Ventura, a political science professor at Bologna University. Friend and foe alike say a significant reason for the softly-softly approach is money -- or rather a lack of it. "What happened in the UK shows ... how cautious we have to be with our fiscal and monetary policy mix," EU Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, a former Italian prime minister, said at the time. VITAL FUNDSAdding to the pressure on Meloni is Italy's dependence on the European Union's recovery and resilience fund.

☆ Germany agrees to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, allies to follow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Andreas Rinke | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Germany's decision paves the way for other countries such as Poland, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway to supply some of their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, going some way towards delivering the hundreds of tanks that Ukraine says it needs. "Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," Scholz told German parliament to applause. Germany aims to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine and initially provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from its own inventory. A battalion normally comprises three or four companies with around 14 tanks each. Poland has also pledged 14 tanks and Britain has promised 14 of its own Challengers.

☆ France's Macron says he is awaiting clarifications from Burkina president on troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he was awaiting clarifications from Burkina Faso's transitional President Ibrahim Traore about reported demands for the departure of French troops from the country. Reporting by Michel Rose and Leigh Thomas Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

MONT-de-MARSAN, France, Jan 20 (Reuters) - France will boost military spending by more than a third in coming years, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, as he unveiled ambitions to transform the French army to deal with the great "perils" of this century. He added France would invest massively in drones and military intelligence, areas where French officials say recent conflicts had exposed gaps, and that the military should pivot towards a strategy of high-intensity conflict. Macron did not announce new support for Ukraine, but said France had to be ready for a new era, with an accumulation of threats. Last year, the head of French military intelligence resigned just a month after Russia launched what it calls its "special military operation" against Ukraine over what officials said was a failure to predict the invasion. Macron also said France would pay particular attention to its military presence in overseas territories, especially in the Indo-Pacific, where new threats were emerging.

Mont-de-Marsan, FRANCE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Friday boosting military spending by over a quarter in coming years, saying the hike would help ensure a transformation of the army to respond to multiple potential threats. The planned 2024-2030 budget would enable a "transformation" programme to adapt the military to the possibility of high-intensity conflicts, made all the more urgent since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Macron said. The budget for the period will stand at 413 billion euros ($446.99 billion), up from 295 billion euros in 2019-2025, Macron said in a New Year address to the army. This would imply on average a 28.5% increase in the annual military budget from 49.2 billion euros to 68.8 billion. He added France would invest massively in drones and military intelligence and said he was asking the military to pivot towards a strategy of high-intensity conflict.

[1/5] SNCF Express Regional (TER) trains are seen at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on the eve of a nationwide day of strike and protests in key sectors like energy, public transport, air travel and schools against the pension reform, France, January 18, 2023. The nationwide day of strikes and protests is a major test for President Emmanuel Macron, but also for the unions. Opinion polls show French voters overwhelmingly reject a reform that the government says is vital to ensure the pension system does not go bust. Government spokesman Oliver Veran said the cabinet was "calm, determined" ahead of the strike and urged workers not to paralyse the country. Meanwhile, Macron and several of his ministers will be in Barcelona on Thursday for a meeting with the Spanish government.

☆ France announces it will end visa restrictions with Morocco
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 16 (Reuters) - France will end visa restrictions for Moroccan nationals, the foreign minister said on Friday, in a sign of warmer relations between the two countries after more than a year of tensions between Paris and Rabat. Morocco's Bourita said France had made a unilateral decision to end restrictions after what he said was also a unilateral decision to introduce the restrictions. France has generally warmer relations with Morocco than with its eastern neighbour Algeria, also a former colony. The improvement in relations comes two days after France and Morocco played each other in the football World Cup semi-finals in Qatar. France won the match, which gave greater visibility to the extensive links between the two countries and their dual nationals.

Poland withdrew last-minute objections to a global minimum corporate tax, unblocking a whole package of linked agreements that includes the loan to Ukraine, invaded by Russia almost 10 months ago. "The next six months will demand even greater efforts from us," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the 27 EU leaders gathered in Brussels, asking them for more support from air defences to energy equipment. EU leaders also agreed a ninth package of sanctions against Russia for waging the war against Ukraine, diplomats said. The decision, which requires unanimity, came after EU Russia hawks Poland and Lithuania had warned that proposed exceptions for food security might in fact benefit Russian oligarchs in the fertilizer business. Poorer EU countries want a coordinated response and warned richer member states like Germany against supporting their industries without showing solidarity with the rest of the bloc.

REUTERS/Violeta Santos MouraCompanies Enagas SA FollowBARCELONA/LISBON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - An underwater pipeline to carry green hydrogen between Barcelona and Marseille will cost around 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion), according to preliminary estimates of the project agreed between Spain, Portugal and France, two sources told Reuters. Spain and Portugal aim to become clean hydrogen hubs and net energy exporters, causing tensions with France which plans to produce its own hydrogen using nuclear energy. The pipeline will only carry hydrogen in order to meet EU funding criteria, though "improvements" could be made in future to allow for some gas, a Spanish government source said. As a result, the industry source said, they have pushed their four grid operators to "speed up technical studies, potential pipeline layouts and cost assessments". "If you already have an overland pipeline why build an undersea pipeline?"

His centre-left Social Democrats, the Greens and liberal Free Democrats, have had to wrangle to reach compromises, sometimes delaying decisions. Some European allies say the focus on domestic challenges and internal politicking have distracted Berlin from regional cooperation and especially the key German-French motor that traditionally drives the European Union. Relief measures worth hundreds of billions of euros have helped Scholz's coalition stave off serious social unrest due to soaring energy prices in the wake of the Ukraine war, but recent polls suggest it has lost its majority. MIXED MESSAGESTo be sure, Germany's allies have welcomed the Zeitenwende after years of warning the country of complacency on security. The government may for example not reach the NATO spending goal until 2025, a spokesman said this week.

"Oh FFS (for fuck's sake)," former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves said on Twitter, encapsulating the general feeling among many of France's eastern allies. The annoyance among eastern allies has undermined Macron's own policy agenda to beef up European "strategic autonomy" separate from the U.S.-led NATO umbrella, with eastern allies now trusting the United States more for their defence. An eastern European diplomat said Macron had "misread" Russia once and the fear was he would do so again. The backbone of Macron's foreign policy since 2017 has been to launch initiatives and go against the grain. However, an increasing number of critics and allies see his thrust on Russia as his major foreign policy mistake.

☆ Biden says he has no plans to contact Putin, prepared to talk about ending Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"I have no immediate plans to contact Mr Putin," Biden said at a White House news conference after talks with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. "I'm prepared to speak with Mr. Putin, if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war. Biden and Macron pledged their countries solidarity with Ukraine against Russia's war and vowed to work together to deal with the economic difficulties the conflict has brought. Biden put the onus on ending the war, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, squarely on Putin. "There's one way for this war to end, the rational way: Putin could pull out of Ukraine, No.

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