return to the various links between Angela Merkel and the French presidents

Angela Merkel was in Beaune (Côte-d’Or) on Wednesday November 3 alongside Emmanuel Macron. The German Chancellor is soon coming to the end of her mandate. During her 16 years in power, she has known four different French presidents. It started in 2005 with Jacques Chirac. “The young chancellor admires the French president. She even draws inspiration from her experience but for all that, the two leaders do not display any particular complicity between them. Above all, France’s no to the European constitution project undermines this relationship”, recalls the journalist of France Televisions Caroline Motte on the set of 23 hours of Franceinfo.

If Angela Merkel first found that “Nicolas Sarkozy’s behavior as a man in a hurry is a little disturbing, the Franco-German couple ends up finding their marks”, notably playing a driving role to manage the financial crisis in 2008. The Chancellor had supported Nicolas Sarkozy against François Hollande in 2012. Caroline Motte recalls that the Head of State had even refused to meet the Socialist President “which advocates the end of German austerity. It will also succeed in bending it. But we especially remember the empathy of Angela Merkel after the attacks against Charlie Hebdo, her head resting on the president’s shoulder as a sign of support. “ With Emmanuel Macron, “There is a beautiful agreement. Even if there are failures, she appreciates this young president, she appreciates the pro-European campaign he led to be elected. Facing Brexit, facing the fight against Covid -19, they strengthened their relationship “, underlines the journalist.