Berlin, 1 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) - France is perceived by 40% of Germans as their country's most important international partner, coming just ahead of the United States at 37% in a recent survey.

Franco-German cooperation has been a main driver of European integration and policymaking for more than six decades, but the relationship has hit a rough patch due to differences in key policy issues ranging from security and defence to energy supplies and economic challenges.

A high-profile joint Cabinet meeting was postponed last year and once it took place in January, the outcome was underwhelming.

On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will come to Germany for a three-day state visit, including a boat ride through Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. On Tuesday, he will give a keynote speech in Dresden on Franco-German relations.

Despite the recent turbulence between Berlin and Paris, when Germans were asked to name the "most important partner country" out of five choices - France, the US, Italy, Britain and Poland - Germany's western neighbour came out on top.

In the opinion poll conducted by research institute YouGov on behalf of dpa, France was followed closely by Berlin's long-standing trans-Atlantic security ally, the US. Coming in much farther down were Italy at 4% and Britain and Poland at 3% each.

Thirteen percent of respondents said another country besides these five is Germany's most important partner.

Some 46% of those surveyed rate ties between Germany and France as good or very good, while 39% think they are mediocre and 6% consider them bad or very bad. A large majority of 68% think relations should be further developed, with only 14% opposed.

Sixty percent said Germany and France continue to be the "engine of the European Union," while 19% do not think the statement is true and 21% did not respond.

YouGov questioned 2,002 respondents nationwide between June 27 and 29. The results from the online survey were weighted and are representative of Germany's population aged 18 and over.

Photo: MIA Archive