france was a founding member of the european union. in the 1960s, france wanted to exclude the united kingdom from the organisation. it wanted to build its own economic power in continental europe. france and germany became closer after world war ii. this was to try to become the most influential country in the eu. it limited the influence of the new eastern european members. france is a member of the north atlantic treaty organisation (nato). however, under president de gaulle, it left the joint military command. in the early 1990s, france received criticism for its underground nuclear tests in french polynesia. france vigorously opposed the 2003 invasion of iraq. france retains strong political and economic influence in its former african colonies. for instance it has supplied economic aid and troops for peace-keeping missions in the ivory coast and chad.