Joschka Fischer on the German-French threat

Germany and France are merely pursuing their own national interests despite the crisis in the European Union, writes former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer in the daily NRC Handelsblad. In so doing they are jeopardising the EU and the euro, Fischer writes: "What Europe needs in this grave crisis isn't domestic politicians, but statesmen and stateswomen of the calibre of [former German chancellor Helmut] Kohl. As one of the countries that have benefited most from the Eurozone, Germany above all must not let the cause of Europe be threatened by a major crisis of confidence, because almost two thirds of its exports go to the EU. Since the fall of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 it has been clear that the global crisis is also putting the EU and the euro severely to the test, because Europe has neither a common government nor a common budget policy. For that reason coordination within the Eurozone - above all between France and Germany, its two most important economies - is all the more important. The Eurozone's crisis management strategy must first and foremost be defined by Paris and Berlin."

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