France and Germany aim for union to challenge US

Telegraph ^ | 11/12/03 | telegraph

[Mark Felton]

France is threatening to unite with Germany to maintain their influence in an enlarged European Union and strengthen their common front against the United States, according to reports yesterday.

Foreign minister Dominique de Villepin was quoted by Le Monde speaking explicitly about "Franco-German union" and to have called the further deepening of ties between the countries "the one historic challenge we cannot lose".

Le Monde gave most of its first three pages to reports on the proposed union, noting that it was an idea whose time might have come.

Pascal Lamy, one of France's EU commissioners, spoke enthusiastically of the idea in Le Monde. He said it could start with the unification of France and Germany's diplomatic services and the sharing of France's permanent seat on the United Nations security council.

M Lamy said: "A Franco-German parliament could focus on whatever the EU and the German regional parliaments do not cover." This would include foreign and defence policy, economic and social policy and research.

The details of further union are yet to be sketched out but are likely to include foreign, defence, economic and social policy.

The leaking of his remarks to a Paris think-tank was designed to underline French determination not to be sidelined by American power and its inevitable loss of influence when the EU expands from 15 to 25 members in May.

But France also hopes to put pressure on Britain to dilute its transatlantic relationship in favour of Europe. Paris is determined to press the rest of Europe into accepting the new EU constitution put forward by the former French president, Valery Giscard d'Estaing.

Senior French diplomats concede that they have given up on their relationship with America as long as President Bush remains in office. Since opposing the war in Iraq, France has been ignored in Washington and Paris says its attempts at reconciliation have failed.

All its diplomatic energies, therefore, are now focused on Europe and in particular on prising Britain away from America. With Britain won over, France and Germany believe they can dominate the enlarged Union.

The Franco-German alliance has been gathering pace all year, deepened by the two countries' opposition to the war in Iraq.

The frenetic attempt to reinvigorate the Franco-German alliance contrasts with the decline in the relationship last year, when President Jacques Chirac made plain his preference for a conservative victory in the German elections.

Last month, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder made the symbolic gesture of asking M Chirac to represent him at a Brussels summit after he had to return to Berlin.

Paris and Berlin are deeply worried about the future of the European project, which has always rested on the relationship between the two countries.

The French prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, said recently: "If the Europe of 25 fails, what is there left for France? Just the Franco-German rapprochement."

Paris has been infuriated by the attacks on the proposed constitution by Spain and Poland in particular. Senior officials have said they fear this is a sign of the Europe to come, one in which France and Germany struggle to hold sway.

In an interview published on Tuesday, France's Europe minister, Noelle Lenoir, said the Franco-German alliance was vital to "facing the challenge of enlargement. Those who want to go a little faster than the others must be able to do so, as was the case with the euro, without being held back."

The two countries, dismissed as "Old Europe" by US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, were brought closer by opposition to war in Iraq. But they have also found common purpose on a range of issues including reform of the Common Agricultural Policy on terms favourable to the French.

The idea of Franco-German union has been popular among political thinkers in the two countries for some time. Up to now, however, its leading politicians have been cautious about evoking it for fear of a popular backlash. Recent polls in both countries, however, have shown growing trust in each other and suspicion of the United States.

[BlueLancer]

Fans will no doubt lap up the latest techno-thriller from Bond and Patrick Larkin, the team responsible for Vortex and Red Phoenix . In late 1997, world order has been destabilized by recession and extreme nationalism. The French foreign minister creates "EurCon," a European Confederation led by France and Germany that will rule Europe. EurCon's attempt to assimilate Eastern Europe meets with resistance, particularly from Poland, and soon the U.S. and Britain are pulled into the struggle. The war and its build-up are reported by various observers: the senior CIA field man in Moscow, the private advisor to the U.S. president, a French intelligence agent, a Hungarian police commander, a Russian intelligence man, a CIA economist (the lone woman and hence the "like" interest) and officers of the American, German and Polish armed forces. The French are definitely the bad guys here, albeit dim ones who don't see the writing on the wall when the Americans wipe out their nuclear capability two-thirds through the book.

[Lonely NY Conservative]

This would be the second time they collaborate in the last century. The last time didn't work out so well.

[observer5]

Fascism is well and alive in Germany...

[.cnI redruM]

I guess two bankrupt economies with 10% unemployment are better than one.

[IamEveryman]

Europe is the greatest threat to the World. Even the Chicoms concede this.Lok for a new colonialist facist threat form the EU by mid century

[DB]

Heading for a fall...

[aynrandfreak]

Dang, are you saying that we shouldn't have liberated France? I think it still made sense if only to defeat Hitler before he got the A-bomb.

[cookcounty]

Will this "union" produce any children?

With their rapid population shrinkage, there's going to be nothing left but a handful of young folk staggering under crushing Social Security taxes.

Maybe we should send instructions to "GermaFrance" on how to work their zippers.

[pierrem15]

a) Can any one explain to me how this is even possible under EU rules? Of course it isn't-- it would require the renegotian of the Nice Treaty on expansion and/or the EU "constitution." They forgot to mention the 12 foot bong the Vile Lapin had installed at the Quai d'Orsay.

b)The other thing the Euro snots are forgetting is that if they claim to be a major military power, no one will believe them and they will be forced to prove it.

Still, the combo of nationalism and socialism in both France and Germany right now is nauseating and worrisome.

[HamiltonJay]

That's right, turn Europe once again into Pre WWI alliances.. so that a single assassination can through the entire continent back into war...

Give it up, the French frankly are too damned lazy to ever be a threat to anyone fiscally, and the Germans, well they just lack direction as a nation frankly.

[Richard Axtell]

When, if ever, have the French and the Germans been allies? Perhaps during the time of Charlemagne? The 19th Century began with a massive European war, allying Britain, Prussia, Austria and Russia against France. Napoleon lost of course, and set up the situation for the mid century consolidation of German power under Prussia. Then came the 1871 Franco-Prussian war, and the establishment of the European World empires, leading to the First World War.

After the German defeat, came the disastrous Versailles Treaty, and the rise of Hitler. France's reaction was to build the costly and superfluous "Maginot Line", and to be overrun by the German Blitzkrieg. Postwar-Cold War Europe saw the rise of Nato, and alliance of Western allies, under the protection and leadership of the United States. When was this vaunted "Franco-German" rapprochement?

More likely, as Germany is the more vibrant economically of the two socialist basket cases, this will represent the ultimate domination of France by Germany. But all this depends on the continuation of the Schroeder regime, which is in serious doubt. Is this what the French really want? Are they so blinded by their Anti-American relexes, as to give away their sovereignty for an illusion of world power and influence? Governments have dreamed up and carried out much more foolish plans than this, so... this kind of return to nostalgic power politics is entirely possible. But, so what? This new arrangement would actually increase the economic and social problems France and Germany have created for themselves, while continuing to avoid the real cause; namely leftist government, social, and economic policies

[wtc911]

What's the french word for Axis?

[Richard Axtell]

relexes + reflexes... oops.

[ameribbean expat]

another european union to stand up to american hegemony? what will they think of next?

[Dane]

What's the french word for Axis?

Le Asses

[Billthedrill]

Wow, does this one have "failure" tattooed on its forehead or what? What is it, precisely, about the U.S. that France and Germany will offset by uniting? Military? Nope. Economy? Uh-uh. Culture? Good luck getting a consensus. Population? No way.

Are they giving up on the EU just because those pesky little countries are balking at the inevitability of French and German leadership and dare to assert their sovereignty? Or is this simply a mechanism for forcing a greater degree of control within the EU?

Or is somebody spiking the water cooler at the Telegraph again?

[McGavin999]

I guess two bankrupt economies with 10% unemployment are better than one.

I was just going to ask about that. Do two countries with 10% unemployment equal 20%?

HA! The germans think the french will bail them out of their socialist economic troubles and the french think they're all going to be able to retire earlier because the hard working germans will become their willing slaves.