Merkel Heads to France for Farewell Visit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel headed to France, on Wednesday, for the last time as chancellor of Germany.

French President Emmanuel Macron is going to greet Merkel at a reception in Burgundy's walled town of Beaune at 5:15 pm (1615 GMT).

The two allies plan to take a tour of the Hospices de Beaune, a hospital foundation from the Middle Ages that bills itself as "one of France's most prestigious historic monuments."

Moreover, Macron will award Merkel the Legion of Honour, France's highest order of merit. Dinner with music is also planned at a venue in the wine region that evening, according to DPA.

Notably, Merkel will be accompanied by her husband.

On 22 October, the German Chancellor received a standing ovation from EU leaders, marking her final European summit after 16 years as the bloc’s most influential leader.

“You are a monument,” the convener of the summits, European Council chief Charles Michel, said according to an official in the room.

An EU summit “without Angela is like Rome without the Vatican or Paris without the Eiffel tower,” Michel added after the 26 EU leaders gave her a standing ovation.