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Germany's incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to visit Paris on May 7 after taking office as expected the day before, according to four officials familiar with the plans.
Merz said on Sunday that he would hold talks "immediately" with French President Emmanuel Macron as well as Poland's Donald Tusk in an interview with the German daily Bild.
Coalition talks between Merz's CDU conservatives and the Social Democratic Party ended last week.
"I will travel immediately to Paris and very soon I will travel to Warsaw," he said.
According to two officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, May 7 was chosen as the date for the visit to Paris, as on May 8, Merz and Macron will focus on national commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
French officials are hoping for a rapprochement with Germany under Merz. The personal relationship between Macron and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz was notoriously weak, and ties were further strained by disagreements over energy, Ukraine and trade.
According to a senior Macron ally, the two leaders are already "working hard" and could make progress in the coming weeks on defense, trade and managing Europe's transatlantic relationship with US President Donald Trump.
Beyond Paris and Warsaw, Merz's European tour could also include a visit to Kiev on May 9, following an invitation extended to EU leaders by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Two EU diplomats, who were granted anonymity to speak about the potential upcoming event, said discussions were underway regarding a possible visit by Merz to Ukraine.
The French presidency declined to comment.
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