Speech by President Donald Tusk at the signing ceremony of the Franco-German Treaty of Aachen

22 January 2019

The European Council President saluted the Franco-German accord but cautioned "all convinced Europeans" against losing faith in the purpose of Europe's integration as a whole.

I have come to Aachen today with the firm belief that your decision, the decision to strengthen cooperation between Germany and France can, and should, serve the whole of Europe well. Dear Angela, dear Emmanuel, as friends we are too close for me to have reasons to doubt your intentions and plans. Today Europe needs a revival of faith in the meaning of solidarity and unity, and I want to believe that enhanced Franco-German cooperation will serve this objective.

At the same time I would like to caution you, and all convinced Europeans, against losing faith in the purpose of Europe's integration as a whole. Today there are too many self-confessed opponents of the European Union, both inside Europe and outside, and there is no shortage of them in our countries either, to allow ourselves the illusory and dangerous comfort of discouragement. I will put it bluntly – today Europe needs a clear signal from Paris and from Berlin, that strengthened cooperation in small formats is not an alternative to the cooperation of all of Europe. That it is for integration, and not instead of integration. To the east of Germany there are hundreds of places where the European spirit of a place – genius loci – is felt as strongly as in Aachen, Paris or Berlin, and where millions of people live whose hearts beat for Europe, a Europe of mutually supportive and equal nations. One such place is my Gdańsk. [...]

Full speech

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