Cartoon by Ironimus on the European commitment of the Franco-German duo (24 January 2003)

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‘King and Emperor of Europe’. On 24 January 2003, as celebrations are held to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty, Austrian cartoonist Ironimus scoffs at the commitment of German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and French President Jacques Chirac to the European cause. The two leaders, who are depicted in the full regalia of the King of Prussia and Napoleon, their respective headgear adorned with the European flag, already see themselves as ‘King and Emperor of Europe’. In 2003, the celebrations for the anniversary of the Élysée Treaty were held in the Palace of Versailles — where Chancellor Bismarck proclaimed the birth of the German Empire at the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 — marking the fact that the era of antagonism between these long-standing enemies seems to have long since passed.

Source and copyright

Source: IRONIMUS (Gustav Peichl). "König und Kaiser von Europa" dans Süddeutsche Zeitung. Münchner Neueste Nachrichten aus Politik, Kultur, Wirtschaft und Sport. München: Süddeutscher Verlag GmbH. 24.01.2003, p.4.

Copyright: (c) ADAGP Paris / Ironimus

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Cartoon by Ironimus on the European commitment of the Franco-German duo (24 January 2003)