BERLIN — It was a clear illustration of the dysfunction of the French-German partnership, the axis that for decades kept Europe on a united and dynamic track.

In Berlin this month, Chancellor Angela Merkel, riding high after nine years in power, delivered a strident defense in Parliament of austerity, which she has been pushing on Europe ever since a debt crisis broke out in 2009.

But if the message was familiar, on that day it seemed to have a deliberate target: France, Germany’s No. 1 ally, whose government had just waged a vociferous backlash against her program, and said that it would not meet European Union deficit goals until 2017.

That rhetorical volley was the latest example of how far the partners have drifted apart. While their formal relationship remains close, the power balance has shifted sharply since Europe’s debt crisis erupted, raising doubts about their ability to continue their traditional role of together leading Europe in new economic and political directions.