SPIEGEL ONLINE
- May 01, 2012
All eyes in Europe are on François Hollande, the Socialist candidate who could become France's next president on Sunday. The reserved technocrat has become more confident and presidential during the campaign, and makes up for his shortcomings as an orator by showing genuine empathy with people. But even his friends say he is hard to fathom. By Mathieu von Rohr more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 27, 2012
François Hollande is predicted to win France's presidential election, but his victory could endanger the euro zone's carefully negotiated fiscal pact. He also wants to water down the European Central Bank's statutes, forcing it to lend more to promote economic growth. But his plans would do little more than borrow time -- and they could be very dangerous for Germany. An Analysis By Wolfgang Kaden more... [ Comment ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 27, 2012
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear on Thursday that she was not prepared to renegotiate the European Union fiscal pact as demanded by French presidential candidate François Hollande. Her comments come as ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded Spain two notches. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 24, 2012
The collapse of the Dutch government, the prospect of Socialist François Hollande as next French president and the surging popularity of far-right parties shows that budget discipline is out of fashion in Europe. Chancellor Angela Merkel is looking increasingly lonely in her fight to save the euro through painful austerity measures, write German commentators. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 23, 2012
In an interview with SPIEGEL, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn attacks a Franco-German plan to allow Schengen-zone countries to temporarily re-introduce border controls. The move is a populist ploy by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to secure his re-election, says Asselborn. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 23, 2012
Socialist challenger Francois Hollande has beaten incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in the first round of the French presidential election. The result is a sign of how frustrated the French are with the state of their country, and how angry they are with Sarkozy. Hollande now has to appeal to supporters of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen if he wants to win the second round. A Commentary by Mathieu von Rohr more... [ Comment ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 19, 2012
German Chancellor Merkel has made it clear that she would like to see French President Nicolas Sarkozy win a second term. Indeed, if his challenger François Hollande emerges victorious in the country's upcoming election, she could face isolation in Europe. But a Sarkozy re-election might be problematic, too. By Veit Medick and Severin Weiland more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 17, 2012
French voters go to the polls for the first round of the presidential election on Sunday. So far, it's been a strange campaign in which personalities have played a bigger role than the country's troubled economy. The French media have focused primarily on the fate of President Nicolas Sarkozy -- a fate which remains uncertain. By Mathieu von Rohr in Paris more... [ Comment ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 10, 2012
As the French election campaign enters its last two weeks, President Nicolas Sarkozy is courting right-wing extremist voters. In his neck-and-neck race against Socialist Party candidate François Hollande, they could decide the outcome. By Stefan Simons in Paris more... [ Comment ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 30, 2012
Angela Merkel initially refused to receive French presidential candidate François Hollande when he offered a meeting recently. But as his victory against Nicolas Sarkozy seems more likely, the German Chancellery has made its first contacts with the Socialist Party politician's camp. After all, Berlin and Paris must stick together. By Florian Gathmann and Stefan Simons more...
