The proposal for a renewal of the Élysée Treaty was first made by Emmanuel Macron on 26 September 2017 in his speech at the Sorbonne [de].

[2] At the 55th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, both Macron and Angela Merkel again spoke out in favour of deepening the cooperation in business, society, politics and technology.

[3] The coronation hall of the historic Aachen City Hall was chosen for the signing of the new treaty by President Macron and Chancellor Merkel on the Franco-German Day (22 January 2019), the 56th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, because Aachen, as the main residence of Charlemagne (Charles the Great), represents a common history.

The six main chapters of the treaty are labeled: Among other topics the aim of the contract is to strengthen the cultural diversity (§9) as well as to align security interests of both countries.

[6] In addition, the contract aims to intensify the cooperation of the defense politics of both countries, including the mutual assistance in potential crisis situations.