French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany's conservative chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz agreed during a meeting in Paris to open a new chapter in Franco-German relations, a source close to Merz told Reuters.

Germany's presumptive next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, described his three-hour meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday as a great success, in which the two leaders found broad agreement.

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will dine with Germany's chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Wednesday evening, the Elysee said. The palace said the two leaders would meet for a "working dinner" but gave no further detail.

After securing the largest share in the German election, Friedrich Merz has met with President Emmanuel Macron in the French capital. The pair discussed European security in the face of a shifting US policy on Ukraine.

Incoming German leader will hold high-stakes talks with French president as Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump hover over Europe.

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz, the country's presumptive next chancellor, is set to make a surprise visit to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, days after his CDU/CSU bloc secured victory in national elections.

The Franco-German partnership, historically central to key decisions in Brussels, has been strained over the past three years. This is due in part to domestic political crises in both France and Germany,