Last updated in March 2010
Political relations
France is Germany’s closest and most important partner in Europe. With no other country does it coordinate all its policies more extensively or regularly. In recent decades, important milestones in relations were:
the Treaty on Franco-German Cooperation of 22 January 1963 (Elysée Treaty)
the historic handshake between President Mitterrand and Chancellor Kohl at the Verdun cemetery in 1984
the first time a German Chancellor was invited to attend the celebrations on 26 June 2004 commemorating the 60th anniversary of the allied landing in Normandy
Federal Chancellor Merkel’s participation in the celebrations marking the anniversary of the end of the First World War, held at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on 11 November 2009
These have spawned unusually diverse and intensive forms of cooperation. Today, cooperation focuses on European policy and developing a joint stance on international security issues.
Intergovernmental cooperation
Franco-German cooperation goes hand in hand with the close integration of other European partners. It is constantly evident that even in a Europe with 27 member states, significant progress can only be achieved if Germany and France pull together (the Franco-German motor).
The resolutions and institutional changes made to mark the 40th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty in 2003 have further intensified Franco-German cooperation. Each side has its own Commissioner for Franco-German Cooperation: on the German side the Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Werner Hoyer; and on the French side the Minister of State for European Affairs at France’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Pierre Lellouche.
At half-yearly intervals, the two Cabinets meet in joint Ministerial Councils to discuss the entire range of political issues. The 12th meeting of the Franco-German Ministerial Council on 4 February 2010 in Paris adopted the Agenda 2020, in which the two countries affirm their intention to further intensify cooperation in the next decade. The Agenda 2020 contains a host of ambitious projects and policy proposals that now await implementation.
Interparliamentary cooperation
Cooperation between France’s National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) and the German Bundestag is close. There are also wide-ranging contacts between the French Senate and Germany’s upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat. These include:
Joint sessions of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Bundestag and the Assemblée Nationale and the European Affairs Committees of both countries’ upper and lower houses
An annual parliamentarians’ colloquium Paris-Berlin
Regular exchange of views between German and French parties
Annual meetings of the two parliamentary speakers
Friendship groups in the two houses of both countries
An exchange programme for parliamentary assistants
Short visits by parliamentarians of both countries to observe the work of their counterparts
An annually awarded parliamentary prize for an academic thesis on bilateral relations
Cooperation between German federal states and French regions
Cooperation at the level of the Federal Government and the German Bundestag and Bundesrat is supplemented by coordination and joint projects at federal state level. Key issues here include promoting knowledge of the other country’s language and culture, increasing the mobility and networking of companies, universities and research institutions.
Cooperation on security and defence policy
Cooperation between Germany and France on security policy is very close. For over 20 years now, the Franco-German Defence and Security Council has met several times a year. The joint Franco-German Brigade initially symbolized the two countries’ will to cooperate on military policy. Along with the Eurocorps, it now forms the basis for integrated and synchronized European armed forces as part of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
Economic relations
Even in the wake of the 2009 crisis, Germany remains France’s most important trading partner, with trade worth EUR 114 billion, compared with EUR 138 billion in 2008. In 2009, France’s balance of trade deficit fell to EUR 14.2 billion, from EUR 18.9 billion in 2008, thus reaching its lowest level since 2006. In bilateral trade, French companies were evidently among the main beneficiaries of Germany’s car scrapping incentive scheme.
Every sixth foreign tourist in France is a German, and an additional 150,000 Germans reside permanently in the country. The bilateral flow of investment also remains at a constantly high level: German investment in France is worth a total of EUR 64 billion and has created 320,000 jobs so far. Germany was for a long time the most important foreign direct investor in France, after the USA, which it now appears to have overtaken in 2009. In the second quarter of 2009, both countries’ economies bottomed out and are now on the road to recovery. With a decline in GDP of just over 2 per cent, France weathered the crisis comparatively well and expects 1.4 per cent growth in 2010. A matter of concern is the severe budget deficit, which will exceed 8 percent of GDP in 2010. Unemployment has risen more sharply in France than in Germany and there is a possibility of it crossing the 10 per cent mark in 2010.
Education and social and cultural relations
Franco-German cultural exchange is close and wide-ranging in all areas. Of the two countries’ cities, Berlin and Paris in particular attract creative artists from the partner country.
Schools and universities are increasingly networking both bilaterally and at European level (mutual recognition of qualifications, extending partnerships and binational/European study programmes under the umbrella of the Franco-German University/Saarbrücken, and the academic exchange, the “Franco-German Forum”/Strasbourg).
An important prerequisite for good mutual understanding is knowledge of the partner language. Initiatives like the DeutschMobile/FranceMobile in schools and the joint Internet language portal fplusd testify to both sides’ commitment to promoting the partner language.
The Franco-German Youth Office remains the key player in youth exchange activities, with some 200,000 young people participating each year (a total of approximately 7.5 million since 1963). The Franco-German TV channel ARTE, which broadcasts in both languages, complements the language and cultural programmes in the media sector.
A civil-society network comprising more than 300 Franco-German associations, 22 regional and 2,200 town twinning arrangements, some 4,300 school partnerships and around 50 partnerships between German and French schools with bilingual sections remains an indispensable element in cultural relations.
