German-French relations in the eyes of young people, an interesting survey

Germany and France are the two EU member states, which are considered the ‘big’ of the bloc in terms of both their population and the size of their economies. These two states already cooperate so closely that they are collectively referred to as the ‘engine of the European Union’.

In this context, a survey was recently organized by the Paris-based Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) for contacts between young citizens of Germany and France. In this German-French survey of public opinion, young men and women between the ages of 16 and 25 in both countries were asked what their wishes were for the relationship between Berlin and Paris.

Three-quarters of young people from both countries who participated in the survey said that Europe needs cooperation between Germany and France and that this cooperation should be deepened and strengthened for European stability and further development. At the national level, this opinion was expressed somewhat more in Germany than in France.

Only 11 percent of respondents in the survey were young people in France and just six percent in Germany, who said that France and Germany already cooperate too much and that cooperation should be reduced.

A majority of voters in this survey by the Franco-German Youth Office also said that they believe the German-French partnership is “a guarantee for the future of the European Union, which ensures the achievement of the bloc’s goals on economic stability and environmental protection.” Can.

The same survey also asked voters in Germany and France how they see each other’s country and what term they would like to use for it. Interestingly, the majority of youth in both countries preferred to use the term ‘neighbor’ for the other country first. After that, in the second place, German youths said that they consider France as a partner country of Germany, while French youths said that Germany is a friendly country of France.

In this survey, 12 percent of French youth also expressed the opinion that they consider Germany to be their country’s “economic competitor” because, along with the partnership, both countries have a right to healthy competition for further economic development. Be sure. Only six percent of voters in Germany saw France as their country’s economic rival.

A total of more than 3,000 young men and women from Germany and France were polled in this survey, which was completed late last year. The Franco-German Youth Office organized the survey to mark the 60th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty of close cooperation between Germany and France, which is being celebrated on January 22.