Xinhua News Agency, Paris, January 22 (International Observation) How is the Franco-German “engine” running 60 years after the signing of the “Elysee Treaty”
Xinhua News Agency reporter Tang Ji
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Scholz jointly attended the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the “Elysee Treaty” in Paris on the 22nd, and hosted a French-German joint cabinet meeting to discuss issues such as cooperation between the two countries, European strategic autonomy, and European integration .
The “Elysee Treaty” is the document that laid the foundation for France and Germany to become the “engine” of European integration. Analysts believe that the two countries hope to take the opportunity of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the treaty to restart the “engine”, but the two sides still have differences on many issues including European defense. To continue to promote European integration and realize a strong Europe, France and Germany must try to bridge differences and strengthen unity.
Restart the “engine”
On the 22nd, the leaders of France and Germany led cabinet members and parliamentary representatives to participate in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the “Elysee Treaty” at the Sorbonne University in Paris in the morning, and held a joint cabinet meeting of the two countries at the Elysee Palace in the French presidential palace in the afternoon.
The “Elysee Treaty” is a Franco-German cooperation treaty signed by the leaders of France and Germany at the Elysee Palace in 1963. The treaty became a symbol of comprehensive reconciliation between France and Germany after World War II. It stipulated the exchange mechanism and framework structure between the two countries, and laid the foundation for the establishment of the “French-German axis” of European integration.
On January 22, French President Macron (right) and German Chancellor Scholz arrived at the Sorbonne University in Paris, preparing to attend the 60th anniversary of the signing of the “Elysee Treaty”. Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Julian Mattia)
At the commemorative ceremony on the 22nd, the leaders of France and Germany emphasized the need to strengthen the “engine” of France and Germany. Macron described France and Germany as “two souls in one chest” and said the two countries “have blazed the trail of reconciliation and must therefore be at the vanguard of ‘reshaping’ Europe”. Scholz said that France and Germany, as the “engine of European integration”, can transcend the differences between the two sides.
According to the statement issued after the joint cabinet meeting, France and Germany will strengthen cooperation in various fields to achieve true EU sovereignty, including developing a strong European foreign and security policy, building a solid industrial, technological and digital policy, ensuring energy security, etc.
A major achievement of this meeting is that the two sides reached a consensus on jointly responding to the US “Inflation Reduction Act”. The bill uses measures such as high subsidies to promote the production and application of electric vehicles and other green technologies in the United States. The European side believes that this will put European companies at a disadvantage. Macron told a joint news conference after the meeting that the two countries had set a “common line” and supported an “ambitious and swift” EU response to huge U.S. subsidies.
Another important development of this meeting is that France and Germany agreed to develop the production and transportation of hydrogen energy on a large scale in the European continent, especially to help Germany, which needs to import most of hydrogen energy. The H2Med hydrogen transport pipeline between Barcelona, Spain, and Marseille, France, will be extended to Germany, according to the joint statement.
In addition, France and Germany also issued a joint press communiqué on national defense and security that day. The communique stated that the two countries are cooperating with Spain to develop the “future air combat system” and hope to make important progress in the “ground main combat system” project.
differences need to be bridged
Regarding the commemorative event and the joint cabinet meeting, Hélène Miall-Delacroix, professor of history at Sorbonne University, pointed out that although the two sides showed some cooperation projects and expressed political positions, the differences between the two countries “still remain exist”. This remark expresses the current problems faced by the French and German “engines”.
In the field of energy, the German government announced in September last year that it would invest 200 billion euros in government subsidies and other ways to stabilize energy prices. France accused Germany of taking the move without prior consultation with the rest of the EU and giving German companies an unfair competitive advantage. Although the two sides have made some progress in energy cooperation this time, the French media pointed out that France and Germany have not yet reached an agreement on the reform of the European power market. France wants to decouple gas and electricity prices in the market, while Germany opposes it.
In the field of defense, Germany plans to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States, and France hopes to jointly develop a new generation of European fighter jets with Germany. It is worried that Germany’s purchase of F-35 will have a serious impact on this. Germany hopes to use the anti-missile systems already available in Israel and the United States, while France insists on developing its own European system based on the French and Italian systems. Some analysts pointed out that this reflects the dispute within Europe over whether to choose the path of “strategic autonomy” or “reliance on the United States” in the field of defense.
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on January 6.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Huansong
Jakob Roth and Kenny Kramer, researchers at the German Institute for Foreign Relations, pointed out in a recent article that for 60 years, a united European Union has been established on the basis of the “Elysee Treaty”, but now, the centrifugal force within the European Union is getting stronger and stronger. Growing bigger, Germany and France, as the “engine” of Europe, are now “lack of motivation”.
Christoph Heusgen, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, believes that both sides are responsible for the current poor relations between Germany and France. Germany does not always take France’s position into account when considering issues, and France does not always follow the “European way”. act. But if Germany and France are at odds, Europe will stagnate.
Despite the differences, judging from the statements of France and Germany, the two countries still have consensus on basic issues concerning the future of Europe. Macron and Scholz previously pointed out in a joint signed article published by the media of the two countries that 60 years after the signing of the “Elysee Treaty”, France and Germany still have the same ideal-to build a resilient, strong and sovereign EU. Even with their differences, the two countries are more determined to develop a common response and want to join the rest of the EU in tackling challenges.
Analysts pointed out that in order to realize the ideal of building a strong EU, France and Germany as the “engine” must try to bridge differences and maintain unity. Sixty years after the signing of the Franco-German “accommodating” Treaty of Elysee, Paris and Berlin must rediscover its spirit and relaunch their integration, Miall-Delacroix said. (Participating reporter: Li Chao)