‘Mount Europe. Heading for the summit? It’s the mountaineers! “And to think that there are others who are floating … Shut up and climb.”’ On 5 July 1972, French cartoonist Jean-Marie Kerleroux offers an ironic depiction of the efforts of French President Georges Pompidou, who is working with Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt to establish a common Franco-German position on the issue of currency fluctuations in Europe.