Main focus of Monday, July 9, 2012

European friendship defies the crisis

Despite their differences in the euro crisis Merkel and Hollande put on a united front. (© AP/dapd)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President François Hollande celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Franco-German reconciliation on Sunday in Reims Cathedral. Commentators stress that the friendship must be more than just symbolic, putting their faith above all in Merkel's leadership to overcome the European crisis.

Reconciliation more than a symbol

In times of crisis, paying tribute to the German-French reconciliation should be more than just a symbolic gesture, and the EU finance ministers need to bear this in mind at their meeting today, the left-liberal daily Delo contends: "The problem is that until now the EU's measures haven't solved the crisis, but only deepened it. No one dares say where the border is that marks the beginning of the end of the Monetary Union, a border that must not be crossed. The only thing the EU is concerned with is saving itself from the crisis. And that is not only a debt, finance and banking crisis, but a genuine European political crisis that has shaken the very equilibrium of the old continent. And now, in the midst of that crisis, we have the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the German-French reconciliation, which is seen as the cornerstone of the EU. The appreciation that is now being shown for the achievements of the past decades should for that reason be more than just symbolic. ... Half a decade after the reconciliation mass in Reims attended by Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle, Europe once more faces historic challenges." (09/07/2012)

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François Hollande needs Angela Merkel

After the celebrations in Reims Angela Merkel and François Hollande must follow their grand gestures with deeds, the conservative daily Le Figaro urges: "Hollande and Merkel can walk in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors, who forged new ties of friendship between France and Germany in Reims, Verdun and even on the beaches of Normandy. There has been much talk in recent weeks about disagreements and distance: that Paris and Berlin are supposedly growing ever farther apart. Nevertheless the summit in Brussels on June 28 and 29 painted a somewhat different picture. Both sides played their part in setting Europe once more on the path to progress. Now François Hollande will need Angela Merkel, if he wants France to follow suit. Without greater European integration our economy will be lost, whether the anti-globalists and other nay-sayers on the Left like it or not. That being said, Hollande must first introduce the reforms that all of our partners are expecting of us." (09/07/2012)

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Euro rescue is a matter of timing

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande are working towards the same goal, saving the euro, but they have different priorities, the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera concludes, and puts its hopes in Angela Merkel's powers as a leader: "More than moving at two different speeds, Europe's problem is that it has two different timetables. But unfortunately the wrong timetable for this patient's course of treatment could be fatal. At the most recent Brussels EU summit the two fronts were broken up. The timetables were brought a little closer to each other and a major step forwards was taken, which others must now follow. Angela Merkel plays a key role here. After the summit it was said that she had 'yielded too much'. … At the same time she and her Europe policy are gaining more and more support in the polls. A contradiction? No, more a trusting call for leadership, for the far-sightedness of a statesman that Merkel has not always possessed and which is urgently needed to bring the two timetables into harmony so that they don't land in history's wastepaper basket." (09/07/2012)

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