Germany and France have been the political and economic motor of the European Union for decades. The former so-called hereditary enemies who fought each other in numerous wars have become close partners. An important cornerstone for this success story was laid 60 years ago: In January 1963, the then Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and the French President Charles de Gaulle signed the Franco-German friendship treaty.
“The Élysée Treaty is an immense political achievement,” says Miriam Hartlapp. “He has not only promoted political cooperation, but also anchored the Franco-German partnership in large parts of society.” The professor of comparative politics at the Otto Suhr Institute of Freie Universität researches and teaches with a focus on Germany and France. “To this day, not only do the heads of government of both countries meet as part of the agreement, but also senior civil servants and ministers regularly,” she explains. “The heart of the Élysée Treaty is the promotion of clubs, town twinning and youth and cultural institutions.”
A major youth study was launched to mark the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty
The partnership between the two countries has been strengthened through thousands of individual experiences that people have made as part of exchange programs. Several million young people have taken part in exchanges, for example through the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), which was created as part of the Élysée Treaty. For the 60th anniversary of the contract, the FGYO commissioned a large Franco-German youth study. Miriam Hartlapp also contributed to it. “In both countries, we see low turnout among young people,” she explains. “In France, only 65 percent of young people said they would vote. In Germany it was at least 77 percent.”
In both countries we observe low voter turnout among young people.
Miriam Hartlapp, Professor of Comparative Politics at the Otto Suhr Institute at Freie Universität
This development is worrying. Research has shown that people who don’t vote when they are young are more likely not to vote later in life either. The division of young people into a politically active, content group and a non-political group with potential for anti-democratic resentment is more pronounced in France, says Miriam Hartlapp. “Here, more than 20 percent of those surveyed stated that they fundamentally wanted nothing to do with politics.”
Hartlapp sees reasons for this in French majority voting and a lack of candidates who young people feel are adequately represented. In both countries, it is also evident that active voter turnout depends to a large extent on socio-economic status. “In both countries, there are more young people from low-income households and lower educational qualifications among the non-voters,” says Hartlapp.
This inequality is felt more strongly in Germany. In France, the group of non-voters is socio-economically more heterogeneous. Hartlapp now wants to investigate the reasons in more detail. One reason could lie in the education system, which in France, despite elite support, has a more leveling effect overall: where there is all-day care for everyone and more comprehensive schools, educational success depends less on the parents.
The cooperation with the political college Sciences Po in Paris goes back to the Elisée Treaty
However, the Élysée Treaty also left its mark on Freie Universität. The Otto Suhr Institute offers a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in cooperation with the renowned political university Sciences Po in Paris. “The courses are part of the Franco-German University, which is also part of the Élysée Treaty,” explains Miriam Hartlapp.
One of the graduates, 27-year-old Ole Spillner, was awarded the Excellence Prize of the Franco-German University at the French embassy in January. “During my studies, I had the opportunity to take the best of both worlds with me,” he says. “In the process, friendships were not only formed in Germany and France, but all over the world. There were people from almost 50 countries in our year group.” Spillner took this international experience with him into his professional life: Today he works as a research assistant at the German Society for Foreign Relations.
The Freie Universität Berlin is responsible for the content of this article.
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