Ln January 22, 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel signed the Treaty of Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia. The objective of this document, as an extension of the Elysée Treaty of 1963, is to take into account the evolution of the European and international context and to give new impetus to Franco-German relations.
A provisional assessment, five years later, however, shows that the potential of the treaty has only been partially exploited. Some achievements are counterbalanced by numerous gaps in implementation and some gaps have become undeniable.
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle renews the commitment to Franco-German friendship. It formulates the historic objective of improving bilateral consultation within the European Union (EU) with a view to strengthening integration. It strengthens mutual assistance on subjects that the Elysée Treaty did not take into account, such as cross-border cooperation in the regions and economic relations. The text recognizes the decentralized nature of this cooperation.
The treaty also offers many new developments in foreign policy, security and defense, as well as cultural and educational dimensions. One of the greatest successes in these areas is undoubtedly the creation of the Franco-German Citizen Fund, or even that of four cultural institutes – out of the six announced – of the Forum for the Franco-German Future, of the Cross-border Cooperation Committee and of a Franco-German Council of Economic Experts.
Mistrust
However, weak points can be identified. Other new features of the Treaty of Aachen were neglected or simply not implemented. Thus, cross-border cooperation is certainly promoted by the treaty, but concrete innovations, such as “experimentation clauses”, which allow exceptions to national law, have been shunned. Likewise, in the areas of training, research and innovation, more determination should have been shown.
Five years after its signing, the treaty risks being overtaken by developments in world politics. Regarding foreign policy, security and defense, a bilateral assistance clause has certainly been created. But this has not prevented distrust from growing between France and Germany since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The closure in 2023 of Goethe Institutes in France will even diametrically against the formulated objectives.
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