BERLIN, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and French National Assembly have marked the 55th anniversary of the Elysee with a festive joint session of the two legislative bodies in Berlin on Monday.
Bundestag President Wolfgang Schaeuble (CDU) gave a ceremonial address to the parliamentarians in attendance commemorate the historic Franco-German friendship agreement.
During his speech, Schaeuble praised the original treaty signed by German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and French President Charles de Gaulle as having changed relations between the two neighboring countries "for the better".
Schaeuble also urged leaders in Berlin and Paris to take the 55th anniversary of the Elysee treaty as an opportunity to further strengthen Franco-German ties.
President of the French National Assembly Francois de Rugy also held a speech in Germany, in which he said that the two parliaments were now tasked with "honoring past achievements, analyzing the contemporary situation precisely and making concrete preparations for our future".
"Populism and nationalism are a threat to all European nations," de Rugy added.
The large majority Bundestag delegates subsequently passed a joint resolution, drafted earlier with their French colleagues, which calls for an intensification of Franco-German cooperation.
The text charges Paris and Berlin with formulating a new Elysee treaty within one year, aimed at creating a more deeply-integrated shared economic space, reinforcing cooperation in border regions and advancing joint educational projects.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and far-left Left party (Linke) voted against the resolution. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), German Social Democrats (SPD), Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Greens (Gruene) all expressed their support.
The French National Assembly will hold a separate vote on the same resolution later on Monday afternoon (CET).
The original Elysee treaty, signed on Jan. 22 of 1963, is widely seen as constituting an important milestone in the improvement of Franco-German relations after the two nations battled each other in two World Wars.
The treaty enshrined regular bilateral summits and ministerial meetings and a close coordination of foreign, security and European policy, as well as enabling more than 8.4 million young Germans and French citizens to go on exchange programs.
