w 6 Spotlight | Live from the Labs cnrsI InternatIonal magazIne Elysée Treaty January 22, 2013, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty. Historian Corine Defrance looks back on this historic European milestone. 50 years of Franco-German Friendship interview by laure caIlloce On January 22, 1963, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and French President Charles de Gaulle signed theelyséetreaty, the official document codifying post-war Franco-German reconciliation. How did it come about? Corine Defrance:The Elysée Treaty was a bilateral treaty of rapprochement between France and Germany, setting objectives for increased cooperation between the two countries. The term “reconciliation” is not used in the text it- self, but is mentioned in the joint declara- tion issued by Adenauer and De Gaulle. After nearly a century of rivalry and three wars, the resentment between France and Germany was stronger than ever in 1945, and each country saw the other as a “hereditary enemy.” To ensure lasting peace in Europe, this image needed to be dispelled once and for all. But first, groundwork needed to be done in both countries to prepare public opinion. It was only after the state visits of 1962—by Adenauer to Rheims in July and De Gaulle to Germany in September—that a project of French-German cooperation was proposed. De Gaulle’s tour of Germany was a triumph, and his speeches in German—the “language of the enemy” that he had learned as an officer—made a strong impression. Memoranda were exchanged in the autumn is part of the “De Gaulle myth.” But a number of initiatives had of 1962. Just three days before signing the final document, begun immediately after the war, including by the French mili- Adenauer suggested to De Gaulle that they make it a full-fledged tary government in Germany. In 1950, the Schuman Plan1was diplomatic treaty, a much more binding agreement that would a historic step towards closer political and economic ties have to be ratified by the parliaments of both countries. between France and the new Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and the blueprint for a European community. Does this mean that there had been little to no Franco- In civil society as well, actions to admonish lasting resentment German cooperation before 1963? were taken by various mediators, including many former French C.D.:The notion that everything started with the Elysée Treaty Resistance fighters who had kept contact with the German
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