2017 marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome and the starting point for today’s European Union. Since then, the project has indisputably come a very long way and has undergone major changes in direction. However, one constant throughout has been the central role played by France.

This important milestone is used to take stock of the relationship between France and Europe. The enclosed chapters cover a broad range of issues relating to the past, present and future, investigating Franco-European relations via the optic of a wide range of debates. These include:

the issue of Europe in French presidential elections

the impact of the European question on the development of the two major political forces (of left and right) in France, and its role in their internal tensions;

Europe as a key consideration in French macro-economic policy

France’s Algerian question and missed opportunities to extend ‘Europe’ to its North African neighbour;

Charles de Gaulle’s role in defining the EU’s structures for transnational democratic politics.

Sixty years on: France and Europe from the Treaty of Rome to the 2017 elections assess how and why Europe matters in our understanding of contemporary France, and contributes to the important and ongoing research agendas for the study of France and the European Union.

The chapters were originally published in a special issue of Modern & Contemporary France.