The relationship between France and Germany is going through a severe crisis. The countries are at loggerheads over the best way out of the eurozone crisis, they are viciously critical of each others’ policies, and relations between the Elysée Palace and the chancellery in Berlin are increasingly strained.
Will either country benefit from this situation? No. Will the rest of Europe benefit from it? No. Optimistic observers will say that difficult phases have always been a feature of Franco-German relations. More realistic onlookers will argue that neither side can afford to see those tensions last. The leaders of both countries must find a solution, and fast. Otherwise, Europe may be weakened for decades to come, which will prove a problem for the rest of the world, especially the US.
To solve the problem, France and Germany must honestly identify the issues. How did we end up here? First, there are national reasons: Germany under Gerhard Schr?der, chancellor from 1998 to 2005, took steps to boost its productivity. This split Mr Schroeder’s Social Democratic party and cost him his job – but it boosted his country’s economic fortunes. Where France reformed, it did so tentatively. It is high time Paris understood that the world is an opportunity for its talents, its creativity, its wealth and its jobs – but that to get there it will need to make difficult changes.