Helmut Kohl was the second of only three people to have received an Honorary Citizenship of Europe from the European Council, in recognition of his extraordinary work on European integration and cooperation, such was his contribution to the European project.
While President, Mitterrand supported EU enlargement by encouraging Spain and Portugal to join the EU. He also believed in a more integrated EU and championed the passing of the Single European Act in 1986, which laid the first legal foundations for a European single market.
Together, Kohl and Mitterrand achieved this goal in 1992 with the passing of the Maastricht Treaty, making their dream of a seamless transnational market a reality.
Photo: President Mitterrand and Chancellor Kohl standing hand in hand in front of a memorial wreath at the Douaumont Ossuary, Verdun in 1984
Life and times
Kohl was Chancellor for 16 years, the longest tenure of any German leader in the 20th century. Similarly, Mitterrand served as President of France for 14 years, the longest presidency in France’s history. Mitterrand and Kohl passed away in 1996 and 2017 respectively, after decades of service to their own countries and to the EU.
President Mitterrand and Chancellor Kohl standing hand in hand in front of a memorial wreath at the Douaumont Ossuary, Verdun in 1984.
A vision for Europe
Kohl and Mitterrand worked hard to bolster the post-war relationship between France and Germany, and underscored the importance of peace between their nations while pursuing European integration. The sight of the two leaders holding hands at a ceremony on 22 September 1984 to mark the 70th anniversary of the start of the First World War is an iconic and moving image that made international headlines. It showed how far France, Germany, and Europe had come since the end of the Second World War.
In recognition of their life’s work on Franco-German relations, they received the Charlemagne prize in 1988, which is awarded for work that advances European unification.