Heiko Maas and Jean-Yves Le Drian travelled to Schengen and met up with Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn for what was to be an informal and symbolic visit. All three EU member states are facing national elections: Germany in September 2021, France in 2022, and Luxembourg in 2023.
European affairs were at the centre of discussions between the three politicians. Maas stressed that closed borders, as they existed in the past, must be avoided. In order to do that, the EU member states must keep up the dialogue and coordinate their policies. Germany's Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that the three politicians discussed "many topics" and renewed their intention to strive towards "European sovereignty".
Jean-Yves Le Drian pointed out that it was his first time visiting Schengen, adding that he was happy to be in the historic town "to breathe a bit of European air". The French Minister of Foreign Affairs described his visit as "sort of a pilgrimage, but also a message of hope, of what the Europe of tomorrow can be".
Asselborn commented that he considers it a good thing that Le Drian "also knows where Schengen is". The Minister stated that he pointed out to his counterparts that ten of 26 EU member states currently have travel restrictions in place – among them Germany and France. Asselborn warned them that if free travel becomes the exception and restrictions the standard "Schengen will be destroyed".
Maas was accompanied by his life partner Natalia Wörner, a famous German actress and in a relationship with the German politician since 2016.
