Try it for yourself
235A historical gesture of reconciliation

The joint commemoration in Verdun represents peace and reconciliation.

Kohl and Mitterrand commemorate the war dead together. The connection sought with the EU is the aim of promoting peace and security.

About 4 min readReviewed: 20 October 2026
AI-generated plain light-coloured bouquet beside a smooth dark stone on a wooden table.
Haus der Geschichte · LeMOJoint commemoration in Verdun
A present-day symbolic illustration of remembrance, not a historical photograph from Verdun.
The short answer

Peace and security in EU countries.

The German and French leaders’ joint commemoration expresses reconciliation after earlier wars. This corresponds to the European aim of peace and security.

Try it for yourselfExam question · No. 235
French President François Mitterrand and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl commemorate the dead of both World Wars together in Verdun. What goal of the European Union becomes clear at this meeting?
Black-and-white photograph: François Mitterrand on the left and Helmut Kohl on the right hold hands. Two wreaths and a cloth-covered structure stand in front of them, with other people in the background.
Unchanged original image 235.png from the existing question bank, showing the Verdun commemoration in 1984; not an AI illustration.

Choose one answer. Your result stays on this page only.

Read the gesture together with its historical context.

On 22 September 1984, Chancellor Helmut Kohl and French President François Mitterrand jointly commemorated both countries’ soldiers killed in the World Wars at Verdun. The image shows them holding hands. The gesture connects remembrance of the dead with peaceful relations.

The question asks for the political aim expressed by this scene. It asks neither about a travel rule nor about a shared calendar. Of the four answers, peace and security therefore fits best.

Three fictional adults with short dark hair, long silver hair and short copper hair discuss a closed book.
AI-generated present-day study group, not a depiction of the historical politicians or war victims.

The other three answers

The other answers do not fit the occasion and countries involved.

Friendship between England and Germany

The scene shows the French President and German Chancellor. It therefore does not depict a meeting between England and Germany.

Freedom to travel to all EU countries

Freedom to travel is a different European issue. Joint remembrance of the war dead does not depict border crossings or travel rules.

Uniform holidays in EU countries

Uniform holidays are not conveyed by this commemorative scene. A shared act of remembrance does not create an identical holiday calendar for every country.

The 1984 photograph predates the formal establishment of the EU.

The Maastricht Treaty entered into force in 1993 and established the European Union. The 1984 scene belongs to the earlier history of European integration. The exam question retrospectively connects it with an aim of today’s EU; this does not mean the EU had already been established under that name in 1984.

The image is a gesture of reconciliation, not proof that Europe has had no conflicts since then. A political aim describes what people work towards; it does not guarantee that every danger has already been removed.

Joint commemoration in Verdun · Haus der Geschichte · LeMO ↗
Your memory cue

Joint remembrance after wars → reconciliation → peace and security.

Connect the visible gesture with the occasion. Do not infer travel or holiday rules that the image does not show.

Three words for this question

gedenkento commemorate
To remember people or events deliberately and publicly.
die Versöhnungreconciliation
Overcoming former hostility and rebuilding peaceful relations.
die Sicherheitsecurity
Protection against threats and violence; here, a political aim for relations between countries.
Haus der Geschichte · François Mitterrand und Helmut Kohl in Verdun ↗

Place the scene within European cooperation and its history.

231What does the term 'European integration' mean?
Catalogue answer

The term means the unification of European states into the EU.

This question explains the process of European integration.

237In 2007, the 50th anniversary of the 'Treaties of Rome' was celebrated. What was the content of the treaties?
Catalogue answer

Founding of the European Economic Community (EEC)

This asks about an earlier treaty-based step in European cooperation.

Put understanding into practice

One question understood. Ready for the next?

Practise all 310 questions for your state in our four free modes. No account needed. No advertising.

Keep practising for free Explore Plus

Optional: Plus for history, statistics and targeted revision. €4.99/month including VAT, renewing monthly.

Sources & context

An independently written study guide, not an official BAMF publication or advice for an individual case. The sources below were reviewed on 20 October 2026 for the claims explained here; the test question comes from the existing question bank.

The two editorial pictures are AI-generated illustrations. They do not document real events or official proceedings.The separate image beside the exam question is the unchanged file from the existing question bank, not an AI illustration.