Macron Meets Biden: Why Europe's Relationship With U.S. Faces Tough Test

After months of pandemic-related disruptions, President Joe Biden is now hosting the first state visit of his presidency, opening the White House doors to French President Emmanuel Macron.

The visit of the French leader, who arrived in Washington on Tuesday with his wife Brigitte, is meant to strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries which have since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine became close allies. But that hasn't always been the case.

The relationship between France and the U.S. was very strained during the Trump presidency, as the former president undermined NATO and focused on domestic issues rather than strengthening the country's alliance with its European partners.

But even as Biden's presidency was hailed as a new beginning in Europe, the relationship between the president and the French leader got off to a rocky start.

In September 2021, Macron briefly recalled France's ambassador to the U.S. after the White House announced a deal to sell nuclear submarines to Australia—under the Aukus pact—undermining a previous $90 billion contract with Paris to sell diesel-powered submarines to Canberra.

It was a major diplomatic incident, but, a few days later, the French ambassador returned to Washington after Biden and Macron agreed to rebuild trust in the relationship between their countries—and since then, that's what the two leaders have done, even more so since the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine on February 24.

Despite the fact that Macron has always been a promoter of European independence and autonomy from the U.S. for defense, calling for the European Union to create its own army—calls which have been growing in number and volume since the start of the war—, the French leader has proven one of Biden's most valuable and reliable allies in Europe.

But even as both Biden and Macron's support for Ukraine has been unwavering in the past nine months, there are still tensions between the two leaders about how to end the fighting. Whereas Macron has called for the resumption of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Biden has repeated that this is a decision that only Kyiv can make.

The two leaders will discuss more than Russia's war in Ukraine this week, as Biden and Macron will go through the official program including a dinner, a private meeting between the presidents, a news conference and more official appearances.

Part of the leaders' agenda will be Iran's nuclear program, China's intimidating presence in the Indo-Pacific, and concerns over stability in Africa's Sahel region.

Biden and Macron will inevitably talk about the current energy crisis and rising prices in both Europe and the U.S.—and the exasperation France and Europe feel over economic competition from the U.S. and especially over Biden's U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which will deliver $369 billion worth of subsidies and tax breaks to U.S.-based companies transitioning to a low-carbon economy starting in January.

Since the unveiling of the bill, Europeans have complained that the subsidy package to U.S. manufacturers will weaken European companies at a time when the continent is already struggling with the energy crisis triggered by Russia's war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia's energy imports.

Macron has previously suggested that if the U.S. went ahead with a move he regards as protectionist, the EU should do the same.

The French president is likely to take advantage of the visit to Washington to complain directly to Biden about the high cost of U.S. natural gas sold into the EU—which is three to four times as high as its cost in the American domestic market.

During a press conference last month, Macron accused the U.S. of applying "double standards" in its sales of gas to Europe. "American gas is 3-4 times cheaper on the domestic market than the price at which they offer it to Europeans. These are double standards," Macron said, adding that the issue "concerns sincerity in transatlantic trade."

The French president then said that he would bring up the issue during his visit to Washington. As a dark and cold winter approaches in Europe, it's likely that this issue will be at the heart of the European concerns Macron will voice to Biden.

So far, Biden has proven oblivious to the consequences his domestic policies exert on the European economy, appearing to ignore the existence of the problem raised by EU leaders gathered for the G20 meeting in Bali earlier this month—something that EU leaders consider an issue in itself, as reported by Politico.

The growing dispute between the U.S. and Europe over gas prices and subsidies is likely to make discussions between Biden and Macron a little tougher than they would have been a few months ago, potentially threatening to trigger a transatlantic trade war.