Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus | 26 comments (26 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (4.00 / 4)

I think one should be worried!
Even if in Germany the gov would change in 2009, I can't see a chancellor Beck or Steinmeier being much more friendly to Sarkozy than Merkel, when one remembers, that Merkel and Sarkozy are from the same political direction and Merkel has a tendency to be rather patient with machos. Issues like better Eurozone gouvernance can only be addressed if there is some trust and respect for each other, even when people differ on issues.
Sarkozy is not yet a year in office, so more than 4 years more to come, so it will really be a hard time for Europe if Sarkozy does not change his behaviour or steps back voluntarily.
There is no other European motor than the Franco-German one. Better relations with UK, fine but that will neither deepen the EU, nor can Euro issues be addressed. Italy has such an unstable gov and the chances for a return of the political clown Berlusconi are not too bad. Other EU subgroups with Germany would probably lead to conflicts between the club med and the northern countries, which Sarkozy already has started with his mediteran union idea. So no convincing alternative for an functioning Franco-German relationship.

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers

by Martin (weiser.mensch(at)googlemail.com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 04:30:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (none / 1)

Typical Euro issues would include

Common Eurozone representation at IMF and World Bank
regulation, Germany has already announced to introduce unilaterlly some regulation in the financial markets if nothing happens on higher levels, but clearly a European effort would be better
as the case may be some more modification of the GSP in cases of asymmetric fiscal shocks.

Many of these issues are in Sarkozy's interest I think, but with his behaviour he is destroying any chances to get something done

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers

by Martin (weiser.mensch(at)googlemail.com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 04:39:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (4.00 / 2)

And to think of it, not a year ago, FAZ had an article I found earlier today titled Sarkozy - Kandidat ohne Schwächen = the candidate without weaknesses....

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 04:56:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (4.00 / 3)

In hindsight embarrassing. Recently they titled on the front page "Der kleine Nic heiratet". The letters to the editor in response to that ranged from outrage over the disrespectful treatment of the French president to hilarious amusement.

But I have the impression that many French voters had illusions about Sarko as well.

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers

by Martin (weiser.mensch(at)googlemail.com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 05:04:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (none / 1)

Der kleine Nic heiratet = Little Nic marries

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers

by Martin (weiser.mensch(at)googlemail.com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 05:05:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (4.00 / 2)

"But I have the impression that many French voters had illusions about Sarko as well."

Yes, but for the life of me I never understood that. It was that obvious all along, I mean, NOTHING has been exactly surprising (OK, we could not guess the daily specifics, but all the trends were exactly what was expected).

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi

by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 01:44:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (none / 1)

Indeed. On ET, our French-based readers made the point that he had the media in cahoots (for newer non-French readers: the three big industrialists/media barons who own the top private TVs and much of the written media, as well as the new majority owner of leftist Libération, are Sarkozy's personal friends); but even taking that into account, it seems to me a good deal of cognitive dissonance was involved...

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:53:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (4.00 / 5)

Ok, Sarko has disappointed many. But it would be dangerous to underestimate him. Here is a recent piece from the Economist Blogs:

14:07 GMT +00:00
February 20th
Sarkozy, Obama and McCain
Posted by: The Economist | PARIS
Categories:
From our Paris Bureau Chief

AS Barack Obama widens his lead over Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination, it is worth recalling a trip that Nicolas Sarkozy made to Washington DC in September 2006. That visit is remembered in France mostly for the photograph that Sarkozy managed to arrange of himself with George Bush at the White House. He was then the French interior minister, and not even officially a presidential candidate, so for him it was a real coup. For the French back at home, however, it was baffling: why did Sarkozy want to cosy up to a leader widely reviled in France?

What is less well-known about the trip is who else he met. I've just looked up the official programme that I brought back, as one of the journalists accompanying him on that visit, to make sure my memory isn't playing tricks. Besides other members of the Bush administration, while in Washington Sarkozy met only two other American politicians: astonishingly, they were Barack Obama and John McCain.

According to my hastily scribbled notes from the time, after Sarkozy met the American senator in his office on Capitol Hill, Obama stood in front of us and said: "I shouldn't be predicting French elections, but I've been following the minister's career, and I know that he has a good opportunity to lead France in the future."

In Paris-Match magazine recently, Obama recalled that visit, and promised to return the favour if he won the nomination. It looks as though both had impressive foresight, or at the very least were well advised. That Sarkozy picked two men, neither of whom at the time were front-runners as presidential candidates, is pretty remarkable. I suspect that it reflects the advice of Jean-David Levitte, French ambassador to Washington at the time and in charge of Sarkozy's schedule for that trip; he is now Sarkozy's diplomatic adviser at the Elysée in Paris.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/certainideasofeurope/2008/02/sarkozy_obama_and_mccain.cfm

In fact, I believe that this is one of the inherent dangers of the current Sarko malaise: that other governments (in particular Frau Merkel's) will no longer take him (as) seriously (as they should).

Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.

by LazyEnterprise (lazyenterprise@gmail.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:23:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (4.00 / 3)

Well, according to this week's Canard Enchaîné, the newsmagasine Courrier International (Owned by Le Monde, publishes translated articles from many newspapers around the world), tried to put up an add in the newspapers selling chain Relay titled "Sarko ce grand malade". Relay refused. Incidentally, Relay is owned by the Sarko friend Lagardère... And sells a nice share of the country's news papers, for example it has a monopoly in train stations.

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:40:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (4.00 / 2)

Apparently the Euromediterranean partnership (Barcelona Process) has not worked as intended, so people in the Commission are keen to hear any proposals to make it work. Sarkozy is a problem because his Mediterranean Union seems to be outside the EU, and he hasn't even explained what he wants to do, or how. It is a good thing that Merkel is interested in revitalizing the Barcelona Process, but I would also say that there's more to the Mediterranean than immigration. So the need remains, but there's no hope for real progress with Sarkozy.

The European Neighbourhood Policy is the way to go. Within this, the EU has set up a "Black Sea Synergy" which seems to be working quite well. Other similar structures around various sea basins could be set up. One is the Euromediterranean partnership, but others include the Baltic (where only Russia is not an EU member) and the North Sea (where only Norway is not an EU member). Both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean have geopolitical problems to address, whereas the Baltic and the North Sea can just get on with economic development and integration. My concern is that Sarkozy may push Germany and the rest of Northern and Europe to work on the Baltic and the North Sea basins and neglect the Mediterranean.

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 05:19:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (none / 1)

"Sarkozy is a problem because his Mediterranean Union [(MU)] seems to be outside the EU, and he hasn't even explained what he wants to do, or how."
When I heard of the phrase Mediterranean Union I thought even some kind of serious concurrence project to the EU. In a way this fitted together with something from Wolfgang Münchau I read, about Who is Henri Guaino?, where it seemed that Sarko might not be too interested in the Euro.
In a double leading role in the EU and in a MU, France could play Germany and other countries in a way which would give France extra power. So Sarkozy could be interested in a real concurrence to the EU, just because of starving for power.

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers

by Martin (weiser.mensch(at)googlemail.com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 05:33:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Guaino (4.00 / 6)

comes from the sovereignist left (the Chevenement wing of the party: "republicain"), which is anti-Europe, nationalist, secular and statist. Its ideal is the 19th century militant teacher that brought education to all - and turned all into citizens, so not all its ideas are bad or even outdated, but it's hard to build Europe on them, because they are too French (for lack of a better word here, but I think it fits).

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 06:13:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (none / 1)

In a double leading role in the EU and in a MU, France could play Germany and other countries in a way which would give France extra power. So Sarkozy could be interested in a real concurrence to the EU, just because of starving for power.

In a way the expansion from the EU12 to the EU27 has increased the influence of Germany to the detriment of France, so it makes sense that France would try to build a counterweight by creating a sphere of influence extending to the South.

That doesn't mean that the "Union of the Mediterranean" (as it appears Sarkozy, Zapatero and Prodi agreed to call it in July last year) has to be separate from the EU. That's what people are afraid Sarkozy wants, but it is not what Zapatero seemed to have in mind.

Then again, if a cooperation area is built around the Mediterranean basin, I don't see why Germany needs to be involved. It is not itching to get into the Black Sea Synergy: in that case just the Commission oversight seems to be enough, why would it not be enough in the case of the Mediterranean?

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 06:27:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus (none / 1)

Comission oversight would be perfectly fine. The details matter and if the details are not presented and wording is used as is used, confusion can be the result, especially when anyhow irritated by this Guaino, and in time when a new European treaty is in the ratification process.
The plans maybe OK, but the presentation and the wording had quite some disturbing potential.

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers

by Martin (weiser.mensch(at)googlemail.com) on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 06:51:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Merkel-Sarkozy, rien ne va plus | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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