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Germany (Cerfa)

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The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was founded by an intergovernmental treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic in 1954. It has analyzed relations between the two countries for over 60 years. The Cerfa engages in a wide range of activities. It promotes the Franco-German debate and policy-oriented research through conferences and seminars that bring together experts, policy-makers, decision-makers and civil society representatives of both countries.

The Cerfa publishes regularly books reflecting on the current state of Franco-German relations and two research note series – Notes du Cerfa and Visions franco-allemandes – that target primarily French decision-makers, with the aim of elucidating political, economic and social evolutions in contemporary Germany, and closely following current developments in Franco-German relations.

The Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think-tanksincluding the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Heinrich Böll Foundation, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Genshagen Foundation, French-German Institute (DFI), and German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

Through its successive interactive and ad hoc cooperation programs, the Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation:

  • In the year 2021, the Cerfa started a Program on Multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program aims at creating a Franco-German network bringing together young professionals interested in the topic of multilateralism in the context of their work. It consists in working sessions based on briefings and workshops with selected experts and practitioners covering a broad range of issues relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament.

Previous initiatives: 

  • The Franco-German Future Dialogue co-organized by the Cerfa together with the DGAP and with the support of the Bosch Foundation aimed at creating a new Franco-German generation by developing exchanges and debates between French and German young professionals and PhD students.
  • The Daniel Vernet Group (formerly the Franco-German group of reflection) had been founded in the Fall of the year 2014 at the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
Éric-André MARTIN

Secretary General of the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)

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Marie KRPATA

Research Fellow, Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) 

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Jeanette SÜẞ

Research Fellow, Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) 

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Hans STARK

Counselor on Franco-German relations at Ifri

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Salle plénière du parlement allemand (Deutscher Bundestag)
The Domestic Politics – Elections research axis within the Committee on Franco-German Relations at Ifri provides an analysis of the German domestic politics, its dynamics, the evolution of the party systems, and the electoral geography of the German Federal...
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The Daniel Vernet Group is an initiative of the Genshagen Foundation and the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) at the Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri). It consists of twenty German and French members and meets twice a year.&...
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German-French Young Professionals Network Working on Multilateralism ...
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In a changing world, Germany is more than ever seen as a factor of stability in the face of increasingly numerous and frequent crises. The longevity of its political staff, the power of its economic model and the appeal of its code of values and principles are certainly not unrelated. It embodies...
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Young Professionals Exchange ...
05/09/2023
By: Andreas EISL

The state of public finances in France and Germany is often compared. Germany is considered a model of rigor, through its ability to contain its deficits and generate surpluses, particularly between 2012 and 2019, thanks to the introduction into its constitution of a debt brake mechanism.&nbsp...

05/07/2023

With its new Skilled Immigration Act (Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz) of 23 June 2023, Germany aims to become the country with "the most modern immigration law in Europe". A new points system and new entry rules for experienced workers having a degree from their home country...

01/06/2023

During the economic and financial crisis in 2008, during which the West was severely weakened, the ties between the Western Balkans and China were particularly close. For these countries, turning to China meant to secure new destination markets for their exports and to guarantee new...

30/03/2023

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) looks back with pride on the history of its Ostpolitik, which it sees as having paved the way for German reunification. With the firm will to continue this Ostpolitik after the end of the Cold War, SPD politicians of the last 20 years have...

07/12/2022
By: Sandra PARTHIE

In response to Russia's illegal attack on Ukraine, EU member states have issued a series of economic sanctions against Russia. This also includes moratoria on certain products, e.g., in the energy sector.

13/10/2022

The EU’s basic assumptions, on which it grounds its economic and trade power, are being steadily cast into doubt. The EU’s main trade partners, the US and China, increasingly set their sights on securing their supply chains, which may further a potential decoupling. 

03/10/2022

Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the Bundeswehr has been led to refocus on territorial defense and collective security, which constituted the core of its activity for decades. This evolution break with the long period of efforts during which the Bundeswehr painfully tried to...

29/09/2022

The current geopolitical situation has disrupted the European and global order, which were both consolidated in the 1990s and have been key factors in the modern German model. The Franco-German duo is currently facing new challenges and it will have to respond appropriately in a time when the...

11/07/2022
By: Patricia COMMUN

The German manufacturing industry at the heart of the German economic activity has been confronted in the past years with conjunctural shocks, which question its existence on the German territory: the energy transition which hinders it in the short term to resort to fossile energy from Germany...

25
May
2023
Thursday 25 May 2023
from 10:00 to 11:00 - Videoconferences

Europe has embarked upon a vast process of decarbonizing its economy by 2050. The EU approach to guide this collective transformation within only 30 years is marked – as currently designed – by means of regulatory pressure and a myriad of legislative pieces.

09
Jun
2022
Thursday 09 June 2022
from 12:30 to 14:00 - Conférences

Russia’s war on Ukraine has shaken the foundations of Western foreign policy and the multilateral rules-based order. Institutions built to preserve this order – like NATO, the G7, and the EU – have had to rethink their threat assessments and postures. France, Germany, Italy, and the UK have...

17
Jan
2022
Monday 17 January 2022
from 11:30 to 13:00 - Videoconferences

The end of Angela Merkel's term of office marks the beginning of a new political era in Germany. Known for its stability and the longevity of its leaders, German politics will now be dominated by three parties in a so-called "Traffic Light" coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party (SPD...

17
Nov
2021
Wednesday 17 November 2021
from 17:00 to 18:30 - Seminars and Round-table Conferences

Germany's September Parliamentary elections opened the way for coalition negotiations that may last until December. Yet first hints at directions and red lines in energy and climate policy can be identified as the country must prepare for an accelerated decarbonisation. 

29
Sep
2021
Wednesday 29 September 2021
from 14:00 to 15:30 - Videoconferences

On September 26, 2021, German Federal Elections will be held, and mark the end of the Merkel era. The political equation is likely to be complicated because of the possible combinations and the difficulty for political parties to achieve a stable majority. Important choices are at stake for...

27
Apr
2021
Tuesday 27 April 2021
from 08:30 to 11:30 - Seminars and Round-table Conferences

There is "no strategic autonomy without digital sovereignty", declared Charles Michel, President of the Council of the European Union in February 2021. In this logic, the European Commission calls for a more autonomous Europe in security-related areas such as digital policy and data...

26/10/2022
By: Marie KRPATA , quoted by Angelique Chrisafis in The Guardian

Two leaders under pressure to repair relations after rifts over defence, energy and China. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, hosted the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, for lunch on Wednesday as they sought to iron out significant differences on energy and defence that have weakened...