Helmut Kohl, German Federal Chancellor, from 1/10/1982 to 27/10/1998, and François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic, from 21/05/1981 to 17/05/1995, worked hard to bolster the post-war relationship between France and Germany, and underscored the importance of peace between their nations in the pursuit of European integration.

 

On 22 November 1989 in Strasbourg, François Mitterrand, President in office of the Council of the EU, invited Helmut Kohl to address the MEPs aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall.