The 28 Member States of the European Union must rise to the challenges they face in the refugee crisis, in the economic and monetary crisis with its prolonged high levels of youth unemployment, and in the wars and trouble spots in their neighbourhood. None of these challenges can be resolved by one Member State alone; they all urgently require shared solidarity. The current crisis of solidarity which is paralysing Europe therefore needs to be overcome. In these difficult circumstances, the blame game is in full swing. But the situation is too serious for us to waste time on recriminations. We want to look ahead together. We are convinced that the major tasks facing us must not be seen in isolation. Partial solidarity is not an option. Solidarity can only succeed when it takes into account the wider context, and it is only by taking this approach that we will find solutions. In this context, a strong Franco-German partnership and understanding is the foundation on which we can make progress.

This appeal co-signed by French and German political and academic actors has been published on the 17 March 2016 in Les Échos, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Financial Times.