Franco-German
France–Germany relations, or Franco-German relations, form a part of the wider politics of the European Union. The two countries have a long and often contentious relationship stretching back to the Middle Ages. Since the aftermath of World War II, the French Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany have largely reconciled. Since the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1958, they have been among the founders and leading members of the European Communities and later the European Union along with Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium.