Today's Date:

Relations between France and Germany are clear proof that two neighbouring countries, who have confronted one another during a large part of their history, have succeeded in finding the path of reconciliation and cooperation. Over the past fifty years, the wounds of the past have been healed. Our nations have set themselves up as a model for others.

The signature, forty years ago, of the Elysée Treaty, on 22 January 1963, was a milestone on the path of reconciliation. Determined to “think European”, France and Germany have made their relationship a major driving force for the European enterprise. The relationship we maintain with each other and realization of Europe’s vision have long been two inextricably-linked processes.

The Franco-German relationship clearly remains the backbone of Europe’s future. A fortiori this is true for the new enlarged and integrated Europe. Here Franco-German cooperation on security and defence plays a special role. It is both one of the pillars of the Franco-German partnership and the basis of Defence Europe. The Franco-German Defence and Security Council, created on 22 January 1988 on the Elysée Treaty’s 25th anniversary, has made a decisive contribution. It has placed our cooperation on a broader institutional basis with regular consultations at every level and in every sphere. The Council has ensured that the Franco-German positions remain the impetus for the development of the ESDP (European Security and Defence Policy). The depth and incomparable scale of our cooperation was particularly strongly highlighted in the Franco-German Concept adopted on 9 December 1996. At the military level, the European Corps and Franco-German brigade are a concrete example of the success of the Franco-German relationship. French and German soldiers, side by side in peacekeeping operations, offer men and women in the Balkans and Afghanistan the possibility of envisaging a peaceful future.

These successes incite us to strengthen and pursue the development of our cooperation. The commemoration of the Elysée Treaty’s 40th anniversary and 15th anniversary of the Franco-German Defence and Security Council provides the unique and extremely high-profile opportunity to give our cooperation a new boost.

France and Germany consider the ESDP’s development a political responsibility of the highest order. In this respect, the Defence Ministers have an important role to play in the formulation of key concepts and development of the necessary military capabilities.

Our priority is to improve the rapid reaction capability. We shall give this project the necessary impetus by pursuing the harmonization of our respective defence planning mechanisms and coordination of our military capabilities in a multinational framework. In the long term, we are keen to have available integrated armed forces, interoperable with those of the other member States of the European Union and NATO. We shall achieve this objective by working on a programme fitting in with the NATO Capabilities Initiative. This is how we shall succeed in achieving the strong Europe required for a strong transatlantic community.

We shall also have to proceed quickly with the harmonization of the NATO and European Union planning mechanisms so that the future NATO Response Force and European rapid reaction forces work together as closely as possible. To this end, an important initiative is the use of the headquarters of the European Corps and Franco-German Brigade for operations involving European rapid reaction forces in European Union crisis-management. We shall thus be able to make available to the organizations which have proved their value in international operations a European capability for the initial, particularly delicate, phase of crisis-management operations.

France and Germany support the establishment of a European transport command on the basis of the existing [European Union] Air Transport Coordination Cell. They will explore new ways of cooperating on training crews and ground personnel for the A 400M European transport plane. They will also realize as soon as possible their intention of forming a joint air transport squadron. These two projects are, of course, open to our European Union partners.

Our two countries will also bring together their capabilities in other key areas. In this respect, there are promising possibilities inter alia in the areas of command and reconnaissance, combat search and rescue, and protection against nuclear, radiological and chemical attacks. In addition, reducing the differences between our doctrines, harmonizing our rules on operational deployment and extending and increasing our cooperation on training will ensure that the French and German positions go on becoming ever closer and eventually form the basis of European projects.

All these practical initiatives consolidate our joint position expressed during the consultations on the European Convention: we undertake to include the prospect of a European Security and Defence Union in the future European Union Constitution. In addition, we shall take steps to ensure that the missions of a European armaments policy and creation of a European armaments agency are incorporated in this fundamental document for the Union's future.

Only a politically united Europe capable of acting at global level can carry its full weight in a globalized world. In the background, France and Germany are making a decisive contribution to the process which will make the international economic power constituted by the European Union a strong political union. Our two countries will jointly pursue the development of the European Union with the aim of enhancing the coherence of its policy and responsibility in the sphere of security and defence. France and Germany will thus shoulder the major responsibility incumbent upon our two countries to protect peace – in Europe and beyond./.