Abstract
In the 1970s and especially the 1980s, when European concerns over the NATO flexible response strategy increased, the Franco-German bilateral cooperation reached one of its highest point. Thanks to the personal engagement of personalities like Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and Helmut Schmidt, François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl, the routine of Franco-German contacts evolved into a very special relationship even in the controversial defence and security domain, at the expert as well as the political level. Nevertheless, these exchanges proved that one issue could hardly allow the two partners to find a common view: the nuclear question. With the Germans asking the French to precise where and when they would use their force the frappe, and the French hiding behind their national independence, it seemed that time for a cooperation in the nuclear field had not come yet. However, it is through the evolution of the Franco-German security dialogue that France began to lay the foundations of a future European security dialogue – that is yet to come. Through the lens of newly released archives, this presentation will show that at a time in which Europe hesitated to overtly question the American deterrence, France and Germany found a path towards a fruitful dynamic to cope with security issues in a European framework and to preserve European security. So, the creation of a Franco-German institutionalized security forum was a preliminary step to favour a better understanding of the two partner’s defence postures. Then, this forum helped France to better express how her defence posture might profit to the Federal Republic and to Europe by large. Finally, this dialogue led to common initiatives (such as the Franco-German brigade or the Franco-German security Council) that effectively inspired the first steps European security project after the end of the Cold War.
Panel: History and Prospect for a European Deterrent
Cite this presentation
@inproceedings{eiss-2019-the-franco-german-security-dialogue-as-a-first-step-for-a-deeper-french-european,
author = {Ilaria Parisi},
title = {The Franco-German Security Dialogue as a First Step for a Deeper French European Engagement},
booktitle = {European Security Studies Conference 2019},
year = {2019},
url = {https://eiss-europa.com/papers/2019-the-franco-german-security-dialogue-as-a-first-step-for-a-deeper-french-european.html}
}