Germany, France sign treaty building on 1963 Elysee accord
Posted Jan 22, 2019 05:31:59 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
AACHEN, Germany — German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are meeting in Aachen to sign a friendship treaty that recalls a historic pact the former enemies agreed in 1963.
The new accord will be signed in the ancient western German city Tuesday, exactly 56 years after the Elysee Treaty that’s considered a key moment in Franco-German relations.
Merkel and Macron want to boost cross-border co-operation along the countries’ 450-kilometre (290-mile) frontier, but also co-ordinate better on tackling international problems such as climate change and terrorism.
Germany and France are often described as the engine of the European Union — to the occasional annoyance of other members, who feel sidelined by the cozy relationship between Paris and Berlin.
The bloc has struggled to respond to a recent resurgence of nationalism.
The Associated Press