France-Germany, je t’aime… moi non plus

In less than a century, France and Germany have fought three of the deadliest wars in European history. Since 1950, however, the Franco-German “couple” has been the driving force behind the construction of Europe.

Although this pair has cleverly shared the continent’s leadership – with France traditionally taking the political initiative, and Germany’s economic weight having a greater influence on monetary and budgetary policy – there are many areas of divergence: energy, trade policy, the budget and defense. And yet, with the succession of crises (health, economic, war on Europe’s doorstep), the European Union has seen its most rapid advances in recent years: vaccines, debt mutualization, joint diplomacy, the European response to protectionism, the environment. However, some doubts remain. Will the Franco-German couple always be the driving force behind Europe? Will we be able to overcome deadlock situations and enable the European Union to bring about the necessary transitions in Europe and the world? France, Germany, je t’aime moi non plus, really?