When I came to Bonn, the French considered Germany boring, a country obsessed with its economic success, rather moralistic and with no sense of humour. An unflattering image. “You poor thing, you’ll soon be sick and tired of economic growth and the German question,” said my editor-in-chief when I left France. Germany was an important posting for a correspondent, but not particularly exciting. Alsatians like me were ideally suited for the work. So I found myself in Bonn on 11 September 1989. The first day was a nightmare. I had just come from London and landed in a pretty little town that was neat and colourless. Everything seemed to indicate that my editor-in-chief’s prophecy was about to come true.
A few weeks later, the Berlin Wall fell. An event very much to the liking of the French: a historic spectacle, vast and overwhelming. Germany filled the front pages of the French newspapers for months. People discovered its post-war history, were extremely interested in the society and attitudes in east and west, and looked on with excitement as politicians shaped a new country. Additionally, Germany suddenly gained a real capital city – and what a capital! The French – above all, the younger generation – love Berlin. The period of transition was a strange vacuum: no one could forecast the future. Everything was new and exciting. They were the best years of my journalistic career. Germany was not boring for a single moment. The fall of the Wall fundamentally changed the French image of Germany.
The unification process and its dramatic pace also created fears. Just remember François Mitterrand’s restrained response at the beginning of the GDR’s unification with the Federal Republic. We were afraid of this giant at the heart of Europe. We were afraid of Germany drifting to the east, of a growing indifference to European integration and an increasing disinterest in close relations with France. We were afraid that German democracy would become unstable. Such fears seem absurd today. The feeling of uncertainty has disappeared. The relations between our two countries have returned to normality and we meet on equal terms. Germany has become more self-confident – which is also the reason for more friction between Paris and Berlin. Today Germany regards its neighbours more critically and more objectively. The relationship is more balanced and more healthy. France is no longer an idol for Germans – and that’s a good thing.
