Cartoon by Plantu on the difficult relations between France and Germany (1 February 2001)

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‘And when she arrives with her sauerkraut, you say: “Thank you, Mrs Europe”! Honestly, he can’t talk to me like that!’ On 1 February 2001, French cartoonist Plantu illustrates the tensions within the Franco-German duo and ironically portrays the attempts to resume dialogue between Paris and Berlin. On 31 January, President Jacques Chirac (on the left) meets German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (on the right) in Blaesheim, Alsace, to revitalise relations between France and Germany, which have been suffering since the difficult Nice European Council. This initiative by Chirac leads to the Blaesheim process, which provides for regular close consultation via meetings every other month between the French President and Prime Minister, the German Chancellor, and their foreign ministers. The cartoon shows former Chancellor Helmut Kohl and former President François Mitterrand looking on in concern at the future of the Franco-German duo.

Source and copyright

Source: PLANTU. "Et quand elle arrive avec sa choucroute, tu dis: "Merci, madame l'Europe" ! Non mais, comment il me parle lui !!" dans Le Monde. Le Monde: Paris. 01.02.2001, n° 17425, p.1.

Copyright: (c) Plantu

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Cartoon by Plantu on the difficult relations between France and Germany (1 February 2001)