‘Aachen: Good old Charlemark! Full speed ahead for the Europe of Charlemagne’s gang. “Giddy-up, Helmut, you’re the Guide. That must be the year 2000. At the moment they seem to be going it alone.”’ On 20 September 1978, illustrating the meeting between French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt on 14 and 15 September 1978 in Aachen, French cartoonist Roland Moisan paints an ironic picture of the decision by the two leaders to further Franco-German cooperation and work together for monetary stability in Europe. But the absurd Franco-German venture for Europe doesn’t seem to be convincing France’s politicians. While French Prime Minister Raymond Barre is holding the reins with other ministers, Jacques Chirac, leader of the Rally for the Republic party, seems to want to pull the horse back. Leading the party, the French cockerel and the German eagle set the pace, followed by the horse ridden by the two European emperors. The French President, sitting on Chancellor Schmidt’s shoulders, holds a sceptre topped with an ‘E’ for Europe, while on the road, the globe with a cross depicts the sanctity of imperial power as guardian and defender of the Church.