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germans need partners they can work with. can they work with macron?

Germany is moving to deepen ties with Italy as tensions rise with France over EU trade policy, Emmanuel Macron’s looming exit, and relations with US President Donald Trump, The Telegraph reported on Monday, citing diplomats from the bloc.

France and Germany have long been the “engine” of EU policymaking, but the outlet described Macron as a “lame duck” whose mandate ends in 2027.

“Berlin needs partners it can work with. Can they work with Macron at the moment? Not really. He is leaving office soon and France is unstable. Germans hate instability,” an EU diplomat told the outlet.

According to the report, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has approached Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with proposals to restructure Europe. The plan envisions a “multi-speed Europe” in which a core group of member states – including Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and France – can advance policies more quickly and bypass EU bureaucracy, although sources said not all 27 EU members are expected to join.

Italian officials said privately that the accord, which focuses on cooperation between Italy and Germany on defense, migration, and trade, shows a “new center of gravity inside the EU,” the British paper said.

France and Germany have long clashed over EU governance, with Paris advocating greater borrowing and centralization while Berlin resists due to its reliance on exports to the US. During Trump’s Greenland dispute, Macron urged the bloc to use its “trade bazooka,” referring to the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, a measure never before invoked. Merz criticized the move, citing German business interests, and has also expressed frustration at Macron’s inability to implement reforms amid a divided parliament and public resistance.

France’s instability is compounded by economic strain. Last year, the budget deficit reached 5.8% of GDP, above the EU target of 3%. By early 2025, public debt stood at €3.346 trillion ($3.6 trillion), or 114% of GDP. In January, the government approved the 2026 budget using a constitutional provision allowing laws to pass without a parliamentary vote. Both right- and left-wing parties have signaled plans for a no-confidence motion.

The EU as a whole faces economic pressure from high energy costs after phasing out Russian oil and gas following the 2022 escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Increased reliance on US LNG has pushed prices higher. Germany’s economy contracted in 2023 and 2024, with officials linking the slowdown to energy costs. In January, the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry cited the surge in prices as a factor behind a spike in bankruptcies.

https://www.rt.com/news/631906-germany-dumping-france/

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

no angel....

The face of an angel on a restored church fresco in Rome that sparked outrage because of its likeness to Italy's prime minister, has been crudely scrubbed out by the artist who painted it.

Church and government officials launched an investigation after pictures of a cherub at the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina showed her newly restored face had an uncanny likeness to right-wing leader, Giorgia Meloni.

The artist, Bruno Valentinetti, at first denied the claims, but on Wednesday he admitted that it was indeed the prime minister's face. He insisted that it was similar to the original, however.

Valentinetti, 83, told la Repubblica that he was ordered to cover up the painting by the Vatican.

The original facial features will now be restored, the office of the Diocese of Rome said on Wednesday, following a strongly worded statement from Rome's Cardinal Baldassare Reina.

Expressing his "disappointment over what happened", Reina said "images of sacred art and Christian tradition cannot be misused or exploited".

The Basilica of St Lawrence, which is a five minute walk from Meloni's office in the heart of Rome, has seen an influx of curious visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the now-infamous fresco.

"There was a procession of people who came to see it and take selfies, not to pray," the basilica's priest, Rev. Daniele Michelett, told Ansa news agency.

Michelett said he had not noticed the resemblance to the prime minister when he first saw the restoration work, but agreed that it did not "conform to the original iconography and sacred context" of the church.

The Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina is one of Rome's oldest churches and features artwork by Baroque masters Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Guido Reni.

However the fresco at the centre of this controversy was not old - it was painted in 2000 and was not heritage protected. 

The wall painting is located in a chapel dedicated to Italy's last king, Umberto II, and shows the cherub holding a map of Italy.

Bruno Valentinetti was the original artist, and had been asked to restore the artwork after water damage, Micheletti said.

The government agency in charge of preserving Rome's cultural sites has now informed the church that any further restoration work will require authorisation and a sketch of the proposed image.

The BBC has contacted the Vatican for comment.

 

Giorgia Meloni responded in a post on Instagram saying she was "definitely not like an angel", accompanied by a laughing emoji

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2peyjzgl3o

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.