Qatar hopes for peaceful settlement between Congo and Rwanda

The clasped hands of French and German leaders have long embodied the spirit of European unity - most famously in 1984, when François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl stood hand-in-hand at Verdun in a symbol of reconciliation, reports CNN. 

So, when Chancellor Friedrich Merz grasped President Emmanuel Macron's hand on the steps of the Élysée palace in early May - a handshake that was long, warm, and accompanied by backslapping - it wasn't just a photo-op. 

It was the clearest sign yet that Europe's most important alliance was back in motion. After years of sputtering and frustration under Olaf Scholz, the Franco-German engine is humming again, and it has a new name: Merzcron. 

Since Merz's election, the two have met several times - notably this week with other NATO leaders at The Hague and again at the European Council meeting in Brussels. 

Their shared agenda: to drive the European Union response on security, Ukraine and Trump-era uncertainties, and shape Europe's role on the global stage. 

Ahead of Wednesday's NATO summit, Macron and Merz laid out their vision in a joint opinion piece in the Financial Times. 

"In these testing times, Germany and France - together with our European and transatlantic friends and allies - stand united and strong, to defend our common values as well as the freedom and security of our citizens," they wrote. 

They outlined plans to boost defense spending - aiming to reach 3.5% of GDP in core military investments - and to deepen cooperation between NATO and the EU, calling for a stronger, more sovereign Europe that is no longer reliant on others for its security. 

They pledged to ensure Ukraine emerges "prosperous, robust and secure," and warned that European stability for decades to come hangs in the balance. 

The signs are that the powerful 'Mercron' or 'Merkozy' alliance, portmanteaus derived from the names of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Macron and his predecessor Nicholas Sarkozy, is evolving into an equally influential 'Merzcron.' 

The two-day European Council summit in Brussels, hot on the heels of a G7 meeting in Canada and the NATO leaders' summit in The Hague, was the first of Merz's chancellorship - and was expected to be another demonstration of how strong this union could be, notwithstanding differences on some issues. 

>>Agency