A look back at Emmanuel Macron’s European Week

With Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Nancy on Friday, May 9th, and the signing of a treaty of friendship and reinforced cooperation with Poland, a week focused on strengthening European cooperation for the French President came to a close. Here’s a recap of these five days with a busy diplomatic agenda.
On Monday, May 5th, the Head of State, alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, launched a “Sorbonne Appeal” aimed at “all free minds who want to work for science.” The initiative is part of the French “Choose France for Science” platform, launched last April, which allows research institutions to request co-financing to host foreign researchers. Ursula von der Leyen announced a funding of 500 million euros in the field of research for the period 2025-2027, “to make Europe an attractive hub.”

On Wednesday, May 7th, 2025, the French President met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Paris for a meeting followed by a working lunch at the Élysée, marking the beginning of a new phase in bilateral relations. They discussed the European Union’s agenda on issues of sovereignty, security, and competitiveness, as well as international issues, notably support for Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

On Thursday, May 8th, during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Emmanuel Macron, in a speech given at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe, warned about the threat of the “specter of war” and declared that “we will never be done defending peace.”

On Friday, May 9th, Europe Day, which this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of European integration, Emmanuel Macron was in Nancy with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to sign a treaty of friendship and reinforced cooperation. This treaty, described as historic, includes a mutual support clause in case of aggression against Poland or France, a clause that constitutes “the essence” of the bilateral treaty according to the Prime Minister. Emmanuel Macron detailed several priority areas of cooperation in industry and innovation, including new technologies, artificial intelligence, as well as energy and cybersecurity.