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FRANCE GERMANY

France closes symbolic German based regiment

France announced on Thursday it was closing down a 1,000-strong infantry regiment based in Germany that is part of a highly symbolic Franco-German brigade, a move Berlin reacted to with "regret"

Published: 31 October 2013 16:51 CET
France closes symbolic German based regiment
France has closed down a regiment in Germany out of a need to make spending cuts. Photo: REmy Gabalda/AFP

The brigade was set up in 1989 by then French president Francois Mitterrand and German chancellor Helmut Kohl to increase military cooperation between the two former World War II-era foes.

The French defence ministry said in a statement that it would be shutting down the 110th Infantry Regiment based in the southwestern German town of Donaueschingen in 2014.

The regiment groups together 850 soldiers and 150 civilians, and the ministry said the decision was part of "difficult choices" needed as France cuts its military budget to reduce its state deficit.

But it reaffirmed "France's full commitment" to the brigade, which will be left with around 4,000 soldiers based in both countries after the regiment closure.

German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere expressed "regret" at the decision, saying in a statement that the regiment  "contributed with success for many years to Franco-German friendship".

After the dissolution, France will still have 500 troops in Germany, about the same number of German troops that are stationed in France.

The rest of the brigade is made up of French soldiers based in France and German military based in Germany.

The brigade is highly symbolic in nature as it is difficult for both countries to jointly deploy soldiers to hotspots, given the different rules of engagement that govern both armies.

Soldiers from the brigade have nevertheless been sent to Afghanistan and Kosovo in the past.

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FRANCE GERMANY

‘We want to move ahead’: Macron and Merkel to sign new Franco-German treaty

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will sign a new treaty with Merkel's spokesman saying France and Germany: "want to move ahead to ensure the security and wellbeing of citizens as well as a strong, sovereign and democratic Europe."

Published: 9 January 2019 08:55 CET
'We want to move ahead': Macron and Merkel to sign new Franco-German treaty
Photo: AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will sign a new treaty on January 22 to further strengthen Franco-German cooperation in the run-up to next year's EU elections, Macron's office said Tuesday.

The two leaders, both of whom have been weakened domestically, will meet in the French border town of Aix-la-Chapelle to ink an accord “which will strengthen the already close ties between Germany and France,” the French presidency said.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said the eurozone's two biggest economies “want to move ahead to ensure the security and wellbeing of citizens as well as a strong, sovereign and democratic Europe.”

The treaty will cover joint projects in the areas of defence, climate change and security as well as the sensitive issue of “economic and social convergence,” the French presidency statement said.

The meeting comes as Merkel enters the twilight of her rule and Macron attempts to defuse the “yellow vest” anti-government rebellion which has engulfed French cities over the past seven weeks.

The couple seen as the glue of the European project will meet in the town hall of Aix-la-Chapelle, former capital of the ninth-century Carolingian Empire, which laid the foundation for Germany, France and several other modern European countries.

The French and German parliaments will, on the same day, adopt a draft agreement on closer cooperation in the form of a 100-member joint parliamentary assembly, the French statement said.

France and Germany's ruling parties and their allies fear an unprecedented challenge from populists in May's European Parliament elections.

In his New Year's address Macron said he would set out his vision for a “renewed European project” in the coming weeks.

The 41-year-old centrist was elected on a promise to revolutionise the post-Brexit EU but Germany shot down his proposals for a huge common fund, with Berlin agreeing only to a limited budget to finance investment.

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