Chirac gets beer mug as EU going away present

　　French President Jacques Chirac, pictured, recived an unusual present of a beer mug to mark his final EU summit.

　　What to get the French president who has everything and is at his last EU summit? German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided the answer was an antique beer stein .

　　At festivities for the 50th anniversary of the European Union Sunday, the German chancellor presented the French president Chirac with a rare 18th century mug during a luncheon for the 27 EU leaders.

　　"We gave him a beer mug to add to his collection," a beaming Merkel told reporters after hosting a summit on the 50th anniversary of the EU's founding Treaty of Rome.

　　"It's a piece of history," she said, noting that it dated from a time when "Napoleon was fighting in Egypt."

　　"He has left his mark on Europe in a very positive sense," she said. "There was a very generous round of applause for him" from the other EU leaders.

　　Chirac congratulated Merkel for hosting the European birthday party in Berlin, which included cultural events over the weekend throughout the capital and the signing of a declaration on the bloc's principles and goals.

　　And he thanked her for her presidency of the EU, which runs to June 30, saying the union could not move forward without Franco-German cooperation.

　　"No progress in Europe is possible if there is not agreement between France and Germany," Chirac said, calling the city of Berlin a "symbol of Franco-German reconciliation".

　　"If there is Franco-German agreement, things move forward, more or less quickly, but if you do not, you have gridlock."

　　The 74-year-old Chirac, who has been active in French politics for more than 40 years, ruled out seeking a third term as president this month.

　　对于什么也不缺、最后一次出席欧盟峰会的法国总统来说，该送他些什么呢？德国总理安吉拉·默克尔决定送一个古董啤酒杯。 

　　在上周日的欧盟50周年庆祝典礼上，默克尔总理在共有27位欧盟成员国领导人出席的午宴上将一个18世纪的珍贵酒杯赠送给了法国总统希拉克。

　　默克尔主持完纪念欧盟的奠基石《罗马条约》签署50周年的峰会后，在接受记者采访时开心的说：“希望这个啤酒杯能为希拉克总统的个人收藏增色。”

　　她说：“这个啤酒杯见证了一段历史”，可追溯到“拿破仑攻打埃及”那个年代。

　　默克尔说：“希拉克为欧洲做出了卓越的贡献“，欧盟成员国的其他领导人们“对他的评价都很高”。

　　希拉克祝贺默克尔能在柏林主持欧盟的50岁生日宴会。欧盟50周年纪念庆典包括上周末在柏林举行的一系列文化活动和签署有关欧盟共同原则和目标的宣言等。

　　默克尔的欧盟轮值主席任期将于今年6月30日结束，希拉克对默克尔在其间所做的努力表示了感谢，并称法德合作对于欧盟的进步具有重要意义。

　　希拉克说：“如果没有法德两国之间的和解，欧洲便不会有进步。”他还将柏林誉为“法德和解的象征”。

　　“法德和解带来的是或多或少的进步，但如果没有法德的合作，则不会有任何进步。”

　　74岁的法国总统希拉克在法国政坛上活跃了40多年，他于本月表示，将不打算寻求第三届总统连任。

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