 In October 2002, Fischer was appointed by the German government to the Convention on the Future of Europe, replacing Peter Glotz.Fischer had expressed a keen interest in taking part in the Convention during the coalition talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder following the 2002 elections.In a paper jointly signed by Fischer and his French counterpart, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, in November 2002, Germany and France pushed for a mutual defence commitment to be part of the constitution.