The Saar Treaty, or Treaty of Luxembourg ( German: ''Vertrag von Luxemburg'', French: ''accords de Luxembourg'') is an agreement between

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

concerning the return of the

Saar Protectorate The Saar Protectorate (german: Saarprotektorat ; french: Protectorat de la Sarre) officially Saarland (french: Sarre) was a French protectorate separated from Germany; which was later opposed by the Soviet Union, one side occupying Germany lik ...

to West Germany. The treaty was signed in Luxembourg on October 27, 1956, by foreign ministers

Heinrich von Brentano Heinrich Joseph Maximilian Johann Maria von Brentano di Tremezzo (20 June 1904 – 14 November 1964), known professionally as Heinrich von Brentano, was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as Federal Minister ...

of West Germany and

Christian Pineau Christian Pineau (; 14 October 1904, in Chaumont-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne, France – 5 April 1995, in Paris) was a noted French Resistance fighter, who later served an important term as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1956 through 1958. Life ...

of France, following the Saar Statute referendum on October 23, 1955, which resulted in a majority vote against the

Saar Statute The Saar Statute was a Franco-West German agreement signed in 1954 which resulted from lengthy diplomatic negotiations between France and West Germany. It helped to pave the way for a more modern Europe following post World War II tensions and geo ...

. After the

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...

declared to accede to the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany),''Beitrittserklärung des Saarlandes nach dem Grundgesetz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.'
Amtsblatt des Saarlandes, 1956, p. 1645
/ref> the incorporation of the

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...

was finalised on January 1, 1957. Both involved parties agreed on an economic transition period through 1959, during which the Saarland remained under French control.

References

External links

Saar Treaty

The Saar question
on CVCE website
{{Authority control Aftermath of World War II in Germany History of Saarland Aftermath of World War II in France Treaties concluded in 1956 Treaties entered into force in 1957 1956 in Luxembourg France–Germany relations 1956 in France 1956 in West Germany Treaties involving territorial changes October 1956 events in Europe