District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo is currently commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty on 22 January.
"The Élysée Treaty initiated the healing process for the deep wounds that the people of the Saar Palatinate also suffered from the past wars. We should remember this and make this date an integral part of our culture of remembrance. Franco-German friendship in our region also grew steadily from then on. The treaty is and remains the political, legal and symbolic basis for exemplary cooperation between the two countries of Germany and France. This goes hand in hand with the necessary stabilisation of Europe. At municipal level, we are strengthening and revitalising the foundations of a united Europe with our municipal partnerships with France, Poland, Ukraine and the USA. These connections do not just exist on paper. I count the founding of the cross-border association "Vita Futura Bliesbruck-Reinheim" together with the Département Moselle and other partners as well as the founding of the 'International Alliance for Peace and Cohesion in Europe', the 'Homburg Alliance', as milestones in our partnership and peace work. Our schools and towns in the Saarpfalz district have also been cultivating partnerships and friendships with our French neighbours in an exemplary and very effective way for decades. I am very grateful for this."
Background
On 22 January 1963, the then German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and the then French President Charles de Gaulle signed the Franco-German Friendship Treaty at the Élysée Palace in Paris. The two politicians shared a common desire for Franco-German reconciliation. The Élysée Treaty is still regarded today as the foundation of the deep friendship between Germany and France.