Relief in Brussels as relationship gets back on track over the claret

After the announcement on 15 January 2003 of an agreement between France and Germany over the future running of the European Union there is a sense of relief in Brussels that the Franco-German relationship is back on track. Although some countries may feel excluded when President Jacques Chirac and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder hold private meetings, they know that agreement between the two countries is often the key to progress.