The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)
The Committee for the Study of Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.
Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
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![Brandenburg Gate](/sites/default/files/2024-01/image_cerfa_site_ifri_1.png)
![paul_couleur_1.jpg](/sites/default/files/migrated_files/images/thumbnails/image/paul_couleur_1.jpg)
Secretary General of the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa), Ifri
Publications
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Titre Bloc Axe
Research Areas
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Titre Axe de recherche
Domestic Politics – Elections
The Domestic Politics – Elections research axis within the Committee on Franco-German Relations at Ifri provides an analysis of the German domestic politics, its dynamics, the evolution of the party systems, and the electoral geography of the German Federal Republic. It tackles the relations between the political sphere and society and economic structures. A particular attention is payed to the electoral process in the different “Länder” because of the specificities of the German federal system. The recent political evolutions, with the emergence of new forms of coalitions in the different “Länder” and at the federal level, as well as the persistent differences in the political behaviors between East and West Germany, 30 years after the reunification, will influence political evolutions at the federal level (“Bund”).
The Cerfa at Ifri analyzes these topics along numerous “Notes du Cerfa” and public events which will help understand electoral campaigns, but also the overarching consequences of the election results on the Franco German cooperation at the regional and national level and on the role, Germany embodies on the European and international stage.
![Bundestag meeting, Germany](/sites/default/files/2024-01/image_axe_politique_interieure_allemande_1.png)
Titre Axe de recherche
Germany on the world stage
In a changing world, Germany is more than ever seen as a factor of stability in the face of increasingly numerous and frequent crises. The longevity of its political staff, the power of its economic model and the appeal of its code of values and principles are certainly not unrelated. It embodies stability but can it also serve as a bulwark against the phenomenon of deconstruction of the multipolar order from 1945? The Islamist terrorist threat, the war in the Middle East, Russian expansionism, the unpredictability of the Trump administration, the rise of populism, the question of opening markets and the uncertainty about the future of the European Union constitute the various elements of a poly-crisis which undermines the foundations of German foreign policy. None of these challenges can be met alone or independently of others. Not to mention the dangers that lie ahead in the longer term.
In 2017, the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) published the collective work "Germany on the International Stage - In Search of Stability in a Changing World" (available in French), edited by Barbara Kunz, Hans Stark and Stephan Martens.
![Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, during a press conference after the NATO Summit. Brussels, Belgium](/sites/default/files/2024-01/allemagne_sur_la_scene_internationale_1.png)
Publications
From One Electoral Campaign to Another: Franco-German Relations in Turbulent Times
Der Europäische Auswärtige Dienst. Deutsch-französische Initiativen für die europäische Diplomatie
![The European Council and European Governance. The commanding heights of the EU](/sites/default/files/migrated_files/images/thumbnails/image/couvroutledge.jpg)
The European Council and European Governance. The commanding heights of the EU
The Institutionalization of the European Council Presidency : Institutional Dependence and Franco-German Inflections
The Rotating Presidency under the Lisbon Treaty: From Political Leader to Middle Manager?
France and the Deepening of the Eurozone: Is There a Way for Franco-German Convergence?
Britain's potential exit from the EU – Weimar Triangle Analyses: French, Polish and German viewpoints on European questions
On an initiative of the German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP), the Study Committee for Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) are regularly publishing short contributions on a common subject, written by three experts of these institutes. The purpose of these “Weimar Triangle Analyses” is to give the French, Polish and German views on central questions of European politics and European integration.
Wortkrieg um das europäische Selbstverständnis : eine Vergleichsanalyse der Türkei-Debatte in Deutschland und Frankreich
![L'Europe prochaine. Regards franco-allemands sur l'avenir de l'Union européenne](/sites/default/files/migrated_files/images/thumbnails/image/koopmann_martens.jpg)
L'Europe prochaine. Regards franco-allemands sur l'avenir de l'Union européenne
The Team
Our research fellows: The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)
Support independent French research
Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.
![Conférence Ramses 2024](/sites/default/files/2024-09/conference_ramses_2024_1.png)