Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of an "emotionally extremely moving Franco-German Council of Ministers" against the backdrop of commemorations of the Battle of Verdun in 1916. Here the entire spectrum of the history of the two countries is reflected "with all its ups and downs" she said.

President François Hollande added that "constancy and trust" are today the pillars on which Franco-German relations rest. There is a mutual will to find solutions and identify the best path forward for Europe. "Today I am very happy – in the knowledge that we have not yet resolved all the matters in hand, but that we are working together here," summed up Angela Merkel.

Facing challenges together

The Chancellor stressed that, in view of the considerable challenges facing the EU as a result of globalisation, Germany and France have demonstrated, especially in recent months, through their cooperation, "that we not only have the will but that we can see genuine progress on various points".

In this context she touched on both the euro crisis ("I think we have withstood the first attacks fairly well, but there is still work ahead of us.") and the Ukraine conflict. ("We had to make it clear with the Normandy format, whether Europe is willing, whether Germany and France are willing to defend what has been a fundamental principle of the European peace order since the Second World War – territorial integrity.") This work is now being carried forward by the ministers of foreign affairs "with painstaking precision".

Refugee crisis is the touchstone

Over and above this, the war in Syria and the refugee crisis have "suddenly forced us in Europe to decide whether we want to protect the EU’s external borders, or to be more precise the borders of the Schengen Area, or whether we want to return to the situation in which every nation must protect its own borders". "We must demonstrate that we can protect the external borders," declared Angela Merkel, for security reasons, and to ensure that we have the trust of the people.

Simple geography makes it essential to cooperate with the EU’s neighbours including Turkey and Libya, and the same factors generate responsibilities. Today, foreign and defence policy embraces far more common projects than was the case even one year ago.

Coordinated measures to clamp down on terrorism

In view of the terrorist attacks France has seen, Germany has understood that "it is our common responsibility to respond now". This is reflected in cooperation between ministers of home affairs, foreign affairs and defence, noted the Chancellor. This is why relevant projects at European level will also be accelerated, because it has become apparent time and again that "given the fast pace of the world, Europe too must learn to respond faster".

Protecting borders – creating freedom to develop inside the borders

The external borders must be protected, said Angela Merkel, if the ministers of labour and employment, and the ministers of education are to launch all the projects that are so important to the people. "These are projects to enable people to visit one another, to get involved in shared initiatives, to learn languages together, and like the young people in the "Café du monde", who came to us as migrants, to speak about all that we have in common and what we must do together for more effective integration."

Shortly after her arrival in Metz, Angela Merkel visited the "Café du monde" with François Hollande. The project is organised by the Franco-German Youth Office. 80 young people with special needs from Germany and France took part and discussed "Integration and Equal Opportunities". The presented the outcome of their work to the Chancellor and the French President.

For fair burden sharing

Europe must still agree on a burden-sharing scheme, said the Chancellor, because it is not so easy to agree on a system that will make it possible to share burdens equitably within the EU. But, Germany and France are "cooperating very intensively on this". This will continue to be the case during Germany’s G20 Presidency next year.

The Franco-German Integration Council, which is to be set up on the basis of the report produced by the State Premier of the Saarland, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, and the French Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, will support the work of Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Integration, Aydan Özoguz, with specific projects.

During the visit of the Chancellor and the French President to the "Café du monde", Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Jean-Marc Ayrault presented them with a joint report on integration. It was commissioned by the last Franco-German Council of Ministers in 2015. The report lays out proposals for bilateral projects to foster integration and peaceful coexistence in society.

Encouraging economic innovation

Finally, the Chancellor pointed to the considerable economic challenges posed by globalisation, to which Europeans can only respond effectively if they respond together. This includes the question of justice and transparency in financial markets, as well as the topic of digitalisation. "Whether we are part of the value chains of the future, whether our automobile industry will help shape mobility in the 21st century, or whether others do that – these questions are all still open."

If Germany and France do not drive forward development here "it is quite possible that Europe might be lulled into a false sense of security," warned Angela Merkel. That is why both countries will be introducing pertinent initiatives to secure jobs into the European process.

The Franco-German Council of Ministers meets once a year, alternately in Germany and in France. Only about one meeting in three involves all Cabinet ministers from both countries.