France and Germany: Together apart?[fr][de] 

During a seminar organised by the French branch of the European Movement, Hans Stark and Alfred Grosser, specialists in Franco-German relations, painted a somber picture of the state of affairs in relations between Paris and Berlin. 

For Stark, secretary-general of a study committee on Franco-German relations (Cerfa), cooperation between the two countries has been suffering from a "lack of dynamism" for several months. At issue is the "fairly serious" disagreement between the two capitals prompted by the establishment of the Union of the Mediterranean in the summer of 2008, as well as tensions that emerged during the energy crisis in December 2008. 

Yet it is clear that the Franco-German relationship is a lot less strained than in the past, both analysts said. Germany and France now have a similar understanding of the role of the United States in the world, for instance. Similarly, as the financial crisis called for increased government spending to restart the economy "the Germans are no longer accusing the French of not respecting the growth and stability pact," Stark said.

"However, the days when Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt could quietly design the European monetary system on their own before imposing the idea on other EU member states are firmly behind us," insisted Stark. 

Differences in political culture 

The political scientist also highlighted differences in the pace of decision-making in the two countries. "In Germany, decisions are very difficult to take," said Stark, noting that each decision needed the agreement of the three coalition partners before it is renegotiated again in each länder. "In contrast, in France decisions are made very quickly," he pointed out.

According to the two political experts, the most serious point of disagreement during the crisis was the break-up of the strategic relationship between energy giants Siemens and Areva. Siemens recently decided to bring to an end its cooperation with Areva and announced the signing of a protocol with Russian firm Rosatom to establish a nuclear energy joint venture in Russia. For Grosser, this highlights strong differences of opinion between the two countries on nuclear matters.