Germany and France Attempt to Reassert Leadership in the European Union

At a one-day summit in Mainz, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and French President Jacques Chirac attempted to reassert their countries' joint role as the engine of integration within the European Union, but the meeting was overshadowed by tensions over security and defense issues. The French Defense Minister's comments suggesting that Britain was Paris's preferred partner on security issues sparked a heated response from the Germans, who felt the statement went too far. To ease tensions, the German Government announced that it would participate in the construction of the A400 military transport plane and begin a Franco-German satellite intelligence network, which would be open to all allies.

Key Takeaways:

• The summit between Gerhard Schroder and Jacques Chirac was marked by tensions over security and defense issues, with the French Defense Minister's comments about Britain sparking a heated response from the Germans.
• The German Government announced its participation in the construction of the A400 military transport plane and the Franco-German satellite intelligence network, which would be open to all allies.
• France and Germany deferred discussion of voting adjustments to take into account Germany's larger population, with France seemingly prepared to tolerate a measure of population-biased voting.
• Chancellor Schroder backed a proposal by President Chirac to hold an EUBalkans summit of former Yugoslav nations, excluding the Government of Slobodan Milosevic.
• The agreements between France and Germany did not result in a joint initiative, highlighting the need for a high degree of consensus within the EU for the French presidency to be successful.
• The summit was characterized by a desire to avoid irritating Britain, with issues such as voting adjustments and the EUBalkans summit being shelved to prevent a negative response from the UK.

Statistics:

• Germany has a population of 82 million people.
• The A400 military transport plane is a point of contention between Germany and France, with Germany only now agreeing to participate in its construction.
• The Franco-German satellite intelligence network is a new initiative aimed at improving European self-confidence on defense issues.
• The French presidency of the European Union begins on July 1.
• The EUBalkans summit of former Yugoslav nations, excluding the Government of Slobodan Milosevic, is planned but no date has been set.

Sources:

• "Germany and France: a fragile partnership" [in The Times, 2000].
• European Union (www.eurunion.org)
• Government of Federal Republic of Germany (www.bundesregierung.de)