The twinning of the French and German Security Council presidencies in March and April 2019 - the so-called "jumelage" (from the French "jumeau", twin) - was symbolically significant: At a time when the cornerstones of the multilateral order are under constant attack, the Franco-German alliance in the most powerful body of world diplomacy sends an important signal: only together can we are strong.
But apart from all the symbolism, the "jumelage" was overshadowed by bilateral quarrels. Different positions on the question of a common European seat at the UN Security Council or on how to deal with Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar strained Franco-German unity. To ensure that the twin presidency does not completely fizzle out, the authors propose concrete steps as to how Europeans can act more united in the future.
Click here to read the Policy Brief released by the Jacques Delors Institut Berlin. A shortened version of the text was published in German on faz.net.
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