Élysée Treaty also known as the Treaty of Friendship, was concluded by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer in 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.

The treaty called for consultations between France and West Germany on all important questions and an effort to come to a common stance. Regular summits between high level officials were also established.

Among the direct consequences of the Treaty are the creation of the Franco-German Office for Youth (l'Office franco-allemand pour la jeunesse/Deutsch-Französisches Jugendwerk), the creation of Franco-German high schools and the twinning between numerous French and German towns, schools and regions.

The first meeting between the two heads of states took place at the private home of the General de Gaulle at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises in September 1958. Since then, French and German heads of states have kept a strong relationship, often considered as being the engine of the European integration (see Franco-German cooperation).