[FR] Terrorist threat and refugee crisis: Franco-German responses

On the anniversary of the Franco-German Élysée Treaty, we are publishing a statement from the ‘Think Tanks Tandem’, a series of meetings organised between representatives of French and German think tanks.

The challenges posed by the terrorist threat and the refugee crisis are so significant that they could affect Franco-German relations, both at the governmental level and among citizens. This is all the more true if populist and anti-European actors in both countries succeed in stirring up isolationist tendencies by exploiting these challenges for domestic political purposes.

The need for close cooperation is therefore more evident today than ever before. If our two countries take a step towards each other, cooperation in the face of these challenges could consolidate not only Franco-German relations, but also the cohesion of the entire European Union.