Merkel, Macron To Talk EU Reform In Shadow Of Migrant Crisis

Berlin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2018 ) :German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday hosts French President Emmanuel Macron for joint cabinet talks on EU reform, especially the flashpoint issue of immigration that divides the bloc and heaps domestic pressure on Merkel.

The two leaders of Europe's biggest economies will seek to thrash out a compromise between Macron's bold vision for sweeping EU change and Germany's stance that is more cautious, especially when it comes to finance.

Merkel and Macron have both stressed that, as US President Donald Trump openly challenges the EU with a trade war and over security and climate policy, the bloc must learn to stand its ground on the world stage.

The ministerial retreat at Meseberg castle near Berlin aims to hammer out a joint Franco-German stance ahead of a June 28-29 summit on the EU's post-Brexit future, at a time when populists and eurosceptics are rapidly gaining ground.

As outspoken pro-Europeans, Merkel and Macron both face harsh opposition from nationalist and right-wing populist forces at home, and in the governments of Italy, Austria and several eastern European countries.

The question of how many migrants the bloc can absorb came back to the fore strongly when last week Italy and Malta both turned back a rescue vessel carrying 630 refugees, which was eventually accepted by Spain.

The move sparked a clash between France and Italy as immigration also triggered a domestic crisis for Merkel, a leader already weakened by her decision in 2015 to keep open German borders to a mass influx of more than one million refugees.