Multilateralism is under threat. The consequences could be dire. But as countries increasingly place their own narrowly defined self-interest above the common good, France and Germany are ever more determined to stand together to defend a rules-based global order.
Today’s complex international challenges require a multilateral response based on a shared understanding and common values. We understand this better than most: if European history teaches us anything, it is about the dangers of unbridled nationalism.
In the terrible aftermath of two world wars, French president Charles de Gaulle and German chancellor Konrad Adenauer, alongside the leaders of other future EU member states, put the continent’s divisions behind them. This decision arose not just from a sense of realpolitik but also from shared convictions of solidarity, co-operation and law.