‘A happy “euro” couple. I’ve heard that you’re a fan of sumo wrestling! … Me too! …’ On 4 December 1996, a few days before the Dublin European Council, French cartoonist Slim illustrates the difficult negotiations between German Chancellor Helmut Kohl (on the left) and French President Jacques Chirac (on the right) over the establishment of the future single currency. For Berlin, the euro needs to be created under Germany’s terms and should be as strong as the Deutschmark.