Germany and France Create Parliamentary Assembly of Two Countries

The parliamentary assembly of the two countries will start working in 2019. Fifty German and as many French deputies will hold two joint meetings annually. The parliamentary assembly of deputies of Germany and France will begin work from next year, as announced by President of the German Bundestag Wolfgang Schäuble after the meeting with head of the French National Assembly Richard Ferrand in Paris on Wednesday, November 14. Fifty deputies from both countries will hold joint meetings twice a year. The seats in the delegations will be distributed in proportion to how factions are represented in the Bundestag and the National Assembly of France. According to Schäuble, regular meetings of German and French parliamentarians will allow them to find common ground on many controversial issues. For example, the creation of a pan-European army, for which French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stand. Bundestag deputy Andreas Jung, who heads the German-French parliamentary group, said in an interview with AFP that the future of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant should be one of the issues to be discussed in the new body. German authorities have long insisted on closing the oldest French nuclear power plant, located on the border of the two countries. The French side fears the loss of jobs and delays the decision. Updated ElyséeTreaty It is expected that an agreement on the creation of a parliamentary assembly will be solemnly signed on January 22, 2019, on the 56th anniversary of the signing of the Elysée Treaty, which serves as the basis for allied relations between Germany and France. On the same day, a new agreement should be signed between Berlin and Paris to deepen cooperation in various fields. Source: DW