The École nationale d’administration, one of the French graduate schools (Grandes écoles), was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratise access to the senior civil service. It is now entrusted with the selection and initial training of senior French officials. The ENA is one of the symbols of the Republican meritocracy, along with École normale supérieure and Ecole polytechnique (“X”), offering its alumni access to high positions within the state. It has now been almost completely relocated to Strasbourg to emphasise its European character. The ENA produces around 100 graduates every year, known as énarques. ENA is seen as the method of choice to reach the administrative Grand Corps of the State. read more…
Élysée Treaty also known as the Treaty of Friendship, was concluded by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer in the Élysée Palace on January 22 1963. It set the seal on reconciliation between the two countries. With it, Germany and France established a new foundation for relations that ended centuries of rivalry between them. read more…
