ADVERTISEMENTRebooting the Franco-German relationship.
French President Emmanuel Macron says that will help reshape the EU post-Brexit.
But Chancellor Angela Merkel will have less room for maneouvre back home.
She’s tipped to strike a coalition deal with the economically hawkish Liberals and the Green Party.
“But I know her (German Chancellor Angela Merkel) answer will be neither withdrawal nor faint-heartedness. I know that just as every time her country has faced historical challenges she will have the same reaction: boldness and a sense of history, and this is what I am offering her,” said Macron in a speech on Tuesday.
Amid a slumping approval rating, Macron himself faces challenges at home.
Several presidents before him have tried and failed to overhaul the French labour market
In the face of stiff protests.
“One of the assests that President Macron has is of course the presence of the Greens in the next German coalition, so he will definitely try to capitalize on it, but the fact remains that for the Chancellor it will be very complicated to bring about consensus among the coalition partners, between the Liberals and the Greens,” said Claire Dhéret, Senior Policy Analyst at EPC (European Policy Centre).
That means Macron will face a tough time in trying to convince Merkel to back his plans for a joint eurozone budget.
Their first major test: Brexit and an informal gathering of EU leaders in Tallinn on Thursday evening.
Theresa May, the British PM, is also on the guestlist.