‘European economy. German–French initiative’. On 20 September 2003, German cartoonist Jürgen von Tomeï illustrates the joint initiative of German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and French President Jacques Chirac in support of the European economy. The two partners are depicted as doctors attending at the bedside of a sick Europe, while British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in the background, is waiting his turn to help. At the foot of the bed, little Michel and Marianne, allegorical figures for Germany and France, look on in admiration at the actions of the Franco-German duo.