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Armin Laschet arrives at the Élysée Palace
Photo: Dorothea Hülsmeier / dpa
On Wednesday afternoon, Emmanuel Macron's chief of protocol waited for the German guest in front of the entrance to the Élysée Palace - not the President himself. Armin Laschet and Macron will not appear together on that day.
A shared photo is the maximum for the visitor.
This is because Laschet is not a chancellor.
And probably also because the French President wants to stay out of the neighbors' election campaigns as much as possible.
Nevertheless, the arrival is pleasant for Laschet.
He gets out of a limousine, walks past the military posts of honor that have set up for him.
Then he steps into the entrance hall of the Elysée Palace, above him a shimmering golden chandelier.
Inside he meets Macron, the two of them talk to each other for more than an hour.
Officially, Laschet did not come to Paris as a candidate for chancellor, but as a representative for cultural issues between Germany and France.
He has had this job since 2019, you have to name his title in full because it is so awkward: Laschet is »the representative of the Federal Republic of Germany for cultural affairs within the framework of the treaty on Franco-German cooperation«.
He really wanted to do this job.
Probably also because it fits perfectly into his portfolio.
First, Laschet says of himself that he always thinks European.
Second, he praises himself for having doubled the funds for culture in North Rhine-Westphalia as Prime Minister.
The post of Franco-German cultural representative seems to have been invented for him.
It is an office that very few people should be aware of.
The State Chancellery in Düsseldorf is happy to point out the associated influence.
In relations with France, according to the government headquarters, "the Commissioner for Culture ranks immediately after the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Foreign Minister in terms of protocol."
A personal letter that began with "Cher Armin"
After meeting Macron, Laschet stands on a terrace in the German embassy.
You dealt with foreign policy, says Laschet.
You need a European response to terrorism, "a European FBI".
He talks about Afghanistan, about the need for "a common European foreign policy with majority decisions".
And joint armaments projects.
It was also about Poland, about "the division between Eastern and Western Europe."
One wonders whether Laschet really traveled to Paris as cultural representative.
Shortly before the end of his statement, he says that he and Macron "talked about the German and French".
Laschet and Macron have met eight times so far.
After the fire in Notre Dame, Laschet visited the destroyed church.
He has long promoted exchange and educational programs between countries.
When the health system in France reached its limits last year, university clinics in North Rhine-Westphalia accepted corona patients from there.
Macron later thanked Laschet in a personal letter that began with "Cher Armin".
Laschet wanted to go to Paris in July, then the floods came
"Foreign policy experience is valuable for a Prime Minister who presses onto the federal political stage," says the Laschet biography of journalists Tobias Blasius and Moritz Küpper.
The candidate for chancellor uses the function of cultural representative "in order not to be placed in the regional league."
Elysée Palace instead of the Landesliga.
Who would do without such appointments in the election campaign?
And finally, Olaf Scholz, the SPD's candidate for chancellor, was with Macron last Monday.
Laschet wanted to travel to Paris in July, but the trip had to be postponed due to the flood disaster.
On Wednesday morning, too, it's first about the flood.
A memorial ceremony is taking place in the state parliament, photos of people who had to be evacuated from their homes by helicopter are shown on a screen.
The SPD wants to force Laschet to turn back
"I promise everyone who suffers from the consequences: we will stay with you," says Laschet in his speech.
The last time the country had to cope with such a reconstruction effort as after the flood was after the Second World War.
Thomas Kutschaty, the head of the SPD parliamentary group, later announced that the opposition wanted to set up a parliamentary committee of inquiry.
This should clarify whether the state government made mistakes in connection with the flood.
"If 49 people have lost their lives, everything cannot have gone right," says Kutschaty in the state parliament.
At this time, Laschet is sitting on his government bench, then he has to make his way to Paris, although the debate on the state budget for 2022 is still pending.
While Laschet is on his way to the airport, the SPD requests the Prime Minister's presence in the plenary.
One wants to force Laschet to turn back.
The application is rejected with the votes of the CDU and FDP, shortly after 1 p.m. Laschet's machine takes off.
Kutschaty speaks of an "affront"
The candidate for chancellor has meanwhile put up with the accusation that he is no longer fulfilling his duties as prime minister.
Kutschaty speaks of an "affront".
Apparently Laschet was "a photo session at Macron more important than the debate about the consequences of the flood disaster in the country for which he is still responsible."
The matter is delicate for Laschet, who has always seen his post in Düsseldorf as the best application for the Chancellery.
Should the impression solidify that he can no longer meet his obligations as prime minister, it could be dangerous.
In the embassy, Laschet says that his trip was "important" and "planned for a long time".
"I believe that people also understand that the Franco-German relationship is also important." He was only absent from the plenary session in the afternoon for a few items on the agenda.
Even in Paris, the appointment probably did not fit into everyone's calendar.
The trial of the assassins and helpers of the 2015 terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in the French capital began there on Wednesday.
Before Laschet met Macron, he drove by the Bataclan concert hall, one of the attack sites.
Laschet placed a white rose on the memorial there.