German Chancellor AngelaMerkel (L) shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron after a joint press conference at German Chancellery in Berlin, capital of Germany, on Nov. 18, 2018. Visiting French President Emmanuel Macronon Sunday addressed German legislators, calling for opening a new chapter for Europe and building it more integrated, stronger and independent. Macron visited Berlin on Sunday to attend a series of events to mark Germany's Day of Mourning for war and violence victims, and met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)
BERLIN, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that the cooperation between Germany and France is an engine of European integration.
Merkel said in a podcast released on Saturday, just days before the scheduled signing of a new peaceful treaty between Germany and France, that with the Treaty of Aachen, she and French President Emmanuel Macron want to build on what Germany and France have already moved together.
"We work in Europe, we want to give impulses for the European unification," said Merkel.
The new Germany-France friendship treaty, as the succession of the 1963 Elysee Treaty signed by West Germany's Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and the then French President Charles de Gaulle, will be signed by Merkel and Macron in Aachen next Tuesday.
The Aachen Treaty is a commitment to a strong, sustainable and sovereign Europe, according to the German government in an earlier press release.
Merkel emphasized that after centuries of war, this friendship was "anything but self-evident". The world has changed, so a new contract is needed.
"We will supplement this contract with a list of projects that will be constantly updated to show how Germany and France continue to work together in Europe," said Merkel.