France and Germany plan to sign a new treaty in Aachen

YOU CANNOTEUEUEU doubt the ambition. By choosing Aachen as the place where they will sign their renewed treaty of friendship and co-operation on January 22nd, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel aim to send a strong signal: France and Germany are still at the heart of the European project, guiding and dominating it, even as the British prepare to depart. Aachen was the capital of Charlemagne’s ancient Frankish empire, his reincarnation of the lost Roman one. His kingdom encompassed most of the lands of the six founding members of the European Union.The Aachen treaty is intended to reinvigorate the Franco-German partnership at the core of the , and strengthen the Elysée treaty of 1963 which institutionalised it. Alas, the jamboree may do more harm than good. One reason is that, by focusing on form rather than substance, it exposes how far the two countries have drifted apart. Another is that the show of unity perpetuates the notion of a duumvirate that irritates other members of the . This is dispiriting. Even without Brexit, the needs new energy and leadership to confront its many problems.