Another Treaty Between Germany and France

The new agreement was signed in the ancient West Germany city of Aachen, just 56 years after the 1963 Elisee Treaty, which established the close relations the two countries would have after centuries of conflict that ended with World War II.

“in all our countries is empowering populism and nationalism”, Mrs. Merkel told French, German and European officials who were gathered at the downtown Aachen.
She said international co-operation is going through a difficult road and she cited Britain's departure from the European Union as an example, as well as increased protectionist trends worldwide.
The Aashen Treaty is aimed at empowering cross-border co-operation between the two countries, as well as improving their co-ordination on international issues, such as climate change and terrorism.
Germany and France are often referred to as European Union Locomotives, which have caused dissatisfaction with other member states, which feel neglected by the close relationship between Paris and Berlin.

The Historic Background of the Aashen Treaty
One winter day more than half a century ago, France and West Germany signed a treaty aimed at leaving behind centuries of conflicts involving two destructive world wars. Under the terms of the Cold War, European unity was limited to a common market of six members who initially rejected Britain's application for membership. Few people predicted at that time that this January 1963 treaty would help cement a Franco-German co-operation to realise what eventually became the European Union with 28 members.
Just 56 years later, on January 22, 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel signed a new pact facing new challenges. The two leaders have weakened in their countries and the EU is struggling with the Brex issue, rising nationalism and divisions on core issues such as migration, economy and defence.
Some analysts say the new Aakhen treaty lacks substance, while far-right French nationalists have issued false warnings claiming Paris plans to issue part of the country's territory and share Berlin's position as a permanent member of the Security Council. The Pact raises a broader question: How important is French-German cooperation in today's Europe surrounded by difficulties?
When France and Germany agreed to something, it was more or less a decision for the EU. Now, that is not enough”, says Manuel Lafunt Rapnowil, head of the Paris office of the European Council for Foreign Relations.
The new agreement aims to deepen Franco-German co-operation in the field of education, environment, security and economic policy, among other things.
The German town of Aachen, known in French as Aix-la-Chappell, is very symbolic once the capital of Frankish Emperor Charles the Great. A year before World War II ended, it became the first German city captured by Allies after a disastrous battle.
But critics say the new treaty remains far removed from ambitions for a more powerful and unified Europe, which President Macro highlighted in a 2017 speech a few months after taking office. A new pact, but few ambitions,” wrote the French newspaper Le Monde, on the eve of signing.
“It is a base on which we can work, but that reflects the limitations of the two governments”, says Joachim Bitterlic, former adviser to former German caserre Helmut Kohl, to France's Le Journal du Dimanche, in which he mentions shortcomings in areas such as migration and energy co-operation.
Russian journalist Leonid Bershidski outlines several issues he believes obstructing the agreement, such as different German-French interests in areas such as defence and economic co-operation.
“Symbolic expressions of solidarity are important in these times of division. But in real life, working together is difficult, even for partners with best intentions”, he wrote in an article for Bloomberg newspaper.
President Macron and Chancellor Merkel meet at a low point in popularity in their mandate as leader. The German Chancellor is considering leaving the post, as she has already given control of her party of the Christian Democratic Union to an ally, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. President Macron has seen his popularity drop to a record level amid continuing protests against his reforms and increasing the cost of living.
While the European Union has demonstrated unity in negotiations with Britain over the Brex issue, the bloc is divided in many other aspects, even though nationalist parties are expected to increase their increased power in the European Parliament elections this May.
Brian's leaving. Italy is run by populists. Spain has a minority government. Poland and Hungary are led by conservative parties, and no government wants to give institutions in Brussels more power”, The Economist magazine wrote, describing some of the obstacles.
In France, yellow vest protesters have spread words coming from far right that President Macron aims to give Germany the French region Alsace-Lorraine, while the head of the far-right Marine Le Pen, has suggested that the Aakhen Pact envisions that France share with the permanent seat of the UN Security Council, which the French presidency dismiss as undoubtedly false “ <x1. The treaty, in effect, envisions that both countries seek a permanent seat for Germany at the Security Council.
However, few EU analysts see any alternative to France and Germany as the final node connecting the bloc.
After the migration crisis, after everything we've had, let's just do the political statement that the 27 EU member states would like to continue and improve the co-operation of the European Union”, said Frantisek Ruzica, Slovakia's state secretary for European Affairs, during a recent visit to Paris. Without strong Franco-German co-operation, he added, “European co-operation will not exist”.
The Aachen “treaty is there to remind the two countries and the rest of Europe that, even when unseen, even when it is difficult, this relationship is important”, says the European Council for Foreign Relations's Lafont Rapnowiil. The two countries believe this is important, and it's the point where everything starts”, he says.