Amsterdam Treaty Agreement
Chirac joined European leaders in reaching political agreement on the Amsterdam Treaty.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1997 in France
Explore 13 historical events and records for France in 1997.
Historical records for France in 1997
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 13 of 13 unique records.
13Unique records
1 of 1Page
11Named events on this page
9Named people on this page
5Places on this page
June
October
Amsterdam Treaty Signature
Jospin represented France's government as the Amsterdam Treaty was signed to reform the European Union.
Treaty of Schengen
In France, Chevenement works to preserve practical border, police and justice cooperation during the transition into EU law. Paris also emphasises effective controls at the Schengen area's external frontier.
Treaty of Schengen
During the Schengen process, Jospin endorses Amsterdam's Schengen Protocol, which brings the acquis inside the European Union treaty system. The French approach stresses both free movement and compensating security measures.
Treaty of Schengen
Vedrine accepts moving Schengen rules from intergovernmental cooperation into the Union's legal order. French policy couples freer movement with stronger police coordination.
Reform of Government
Pledges to reduce the maximum length of the working week from 39 to 35 hrs by 2000
December
Luxembourg Enlargement Process
Chirac supported opening the enlargement process with Central and Eastern European applicant states.
Other events (month unknown)
Arsenal First Full Season Third Place
Arsenal finished third in the 1996-97 Premier League season, Wenger’s first campaign at the club, and secured qualification for European competition.
Death of Jacques Cousteau
Death of Jacques Cousteau
Fourth Premier League Title with United
Cantona ended his final season with another Premier League winners' medal as United held off domestic challengers.
Retires at Thirty
Cantona unexpectedly announced his retirement from professional football at age thirty, leaving United after five highly influential seasons.
Transfer to Arsenal
Emmanuel Petit joins Arsenal from Monaco. The French international was already at Arsenal from 1997 and became part of a new midfield partnership with Patrick Vieira.
Vieira Becomes Arsenal Midfield Foundation
Patrick Vieira established himself as a central figure in the Arsenal side constructed under Arsène Wenger.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.