When he was elected to the French presidency on May 6, 2012, François Hollande intended "to reorient European policy" away from the hard line on budgetary austerity advocated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
But after a year, the results of his efforts "have failed to live up to his initial hopes,” argues Le Figaro. Not only did “the alliance which he tried to organise with southern countries to counter northern states prove to be ineffective,” but “relations with Berlin have never been so strained.”
The conservative daily notes that —
The voice of France is increasingly inaudible, however, the message about the dangers of excessive austerity has widely been heard, even in Brussels. [...] Perhaps François Hollande’s mistake was to be right too soon.
Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!
It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.
Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!