DOSSIER - 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty (1963) and implementation of the Treaty of Aachen (2019): where do Franco-German relations stand?
On January 23, 2023, France and Germany celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty. This is an opportunity for us to analyze the state of relations between the two countries, and the contribution made by the Treaty of Aachen, which was added in 2019.
The purpose of this dossier is not to review the achievements and developments of the 1963 treaty - at the end of this introduction, we will refer to a number of dossiers that have reviewed these issues in the magazine over the last few decades - but to recall the operational instruments of Franco-German cooperation today, to consider the place of young people within it, and the importance of civil society for its development, with particular reference to what the question of teaching the language of the partner country tells us about the state of relations between states and societies. The third section looks at the areas where cooperation is growing in strength, while remaining difficult, namely in the fields of economic, commercial, energy and military cultures. The purpose here is to ascertain whether, despite the differences that remain, there is still a willingness to find creative compromises that are likely to win over the other countries of the European Union.
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A dossier entitled "60e anniversaire du Traité de l’Elysée (1963) et mise en œuvre du Traité d’Aix-la-Chapelle (2019) : où en sont les relations franco-allemandes ?", published in Allemagne d'aujourd'hui 2023/2 (N° 244), edited by Claire Demesmay, Paul Maurice, Hans Stark and Jérôme Vaillant.
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Paul MAURICE
Secretary General of the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa), Ifri
Hans STARK
Advisor, Study Committee on French-German Relations (Cerfa), Ifri
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.
Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
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