Thu. 28 March 2019
Events in Europe are very diverse and contradictory these days, and mostly of a self-asserting nature. Therefore, the creation of a joint Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly this week is worth noting. At its first sitting in Paris, the agreement for the joint venture was signed by parliamentary presidents Wolfgang Schäuble of the German Bundestag and Richard Ferrand of the French National Assembly.
From now on 50 members of each Parliament will meet in each other’s capitals twice per year. Although without budgetary or decision-making authority they will have plenty of items to confer about. Their role will be to deliberate on the convergence of their economies, on cross-border cooperation and common defense and security policy, plenty of stuff to advise the sovereign Legislative bodies on either side of the Rhine to do their work.
Creating this joint MP’s hub has been in the pipeline for some years now. And critics come up with their views. Some object to the “Franco-German Axis”, whereas others find it lacking in ambition. One of the European leaders rightly comments that strengthened bilateral cooperation is not an alternative to the co-operation of all of Europe.
Still, this new institutional tool will likely serve what one paper titled the “Hereditary friends” to improve their governance. We from INGO Dialogues wish them mindfulness in testing times and overall good success.
Sources: bbc.com ; The German Times