Germany and France stand shoulder to shoulder – for a strong Europe. The Federal President and Emmanuel Macron underscored this fact during their meeting in Schloss Bellevue. Their talks focused not least on 2024 as an important election year in the European Union.

We are standing at the beginning of a significant year for Europe and for Franco-German relations. Franco-German cooperation remains essential, also for a strong European Union, the Federal President declared after the meeting. He went on to say that the French President’s official visit in May would be a powerful symbol of this cooperation.

22 January is Franco-German Day. On this day 61 years ago, then Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and the French President Charles de Gaulle signed the Élysée Treaty, which defined how Germany and France should cooperate in future in the area of foreign and security policy as well as in the area of youth and cultural policy. Today, the Treaty is regarded as the cradle of the close friendship between Germany and France. It played a crucial role in the historic reconciliation of our two countries.