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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 ...
18/03/2024

With the war in Ukraine, Germany’s “traffic light” coalition government has had to adapt its climate policy to the upheavals caused by this war, which has turned its economic, energy, and military model upside down. Against a backdrop of high energy costs and increasing calls for reshoring in...

14/12/2023
By: Kristina MENSAH, Bettina RUDLOFF

Influences and developments within German agricultural policy have undergone significant transformations over the past 70 years, especially in the context of the dynamic Franco-German relations and the pivotal role both nations play in shaping the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy ...

18/10/2023

As the doors of the illustrious Hôtel Beauharnais on Rue de Lille 78 swung open on the evening of 4 October, and the masses streamed into the German Embassy in Paris to celebrate German Unity Day, the reports of the currently strained state of Franco-German relations seemed...

16/10/2023
By: Anne SALLES

The debate about labor shortages has been long dominating the German public debate. It has been pushed to the agenda again in the context of recent reforms in migration policy. Paradoxically, Germany boasts a robust population size, a significant labor force, and a notably larger proportion of...

03/10/2023
By: Marie KRPATA , Ana Helena PALERMO

The EU-Mercosur trade deal was believed to be heading toward the finish. The election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the president of Brazil, as successor to the right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, and the Spanish presidency of the European Union (EU), raised hopes for its conclusion....

28/09/2023

The period of peace, economic prosperity, and political stability that Germany has experienced since the end of the Cold War ends with the Ukrainian war. The shock wave of this conflict particularly hit its economy and thereby undermines the foundations on which Germany had based its power,...

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...

24
Nov
2023
Friday 24 November 2023
from 09:00 to 16:30 - Conférences

As Africa experiences a paradigm shift in its global positioning, characterized by the rise of multiple regional and international actors, it becomes imperative to examine how traditional European powers, such as France and Germany, navigate this transformed landscape.

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...

14/03/2024
By: Éric-André MARTIN, quotedby Guy Chazan in Berlin and Leila Abboud in Paris in Financial Times

Allies fret that Franco-German animosity is undermining western unity over Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Berlin on Friday for talks designed to repair a fractured Franco-German relationship marred by caustic public spats and mutual recriminations over the war in Ukraine.

06/02/2024
By: Marie KRPATA , interview by EFE Agencia (reproduced by 247. NewAgency)

The agreement EU-Mercosur It has been a banner of the recent protest by French farmers, who denounced unfair competition on the part of South Americans. However, if Paris closes the door to this pact, the way will be left clear to China, warn politicians and analysts consulted by EFE...