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Merkel to join Sarkozy on campaign trail for French presidential election Sarkozy re-ignites war of words with UK
(about 4 hours later)
Eyebrows are being raised across Europe after Angela Merkel pledged to join Nicholas Sarkozy on the campaign trail in his bid to be re-elected French president later this year. French president Nicolas Sarkozy has reignited his cross-channel war of words by accusing the UK of "having no industry left" during a prime-time broadcast on national television.
In an unusual - and potentially risky - move, the German chancellor promised to go on the stump with her Gallic counterpart in an attempt to keep him in the Elysée. Sarkozy, trailing in the polls to socialist challenger François Hollande, was outlining his plans for an increase in VAT on Sunday night when a journalist pointed out that a similar move in the UK had seen a rise in inflation and had set back the economy.
Hermann Gröhe, general secretary of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), confirmed over the weekend that she would "actively support Nicolas Sarkozy with joint appearances in the election campaign in the spring". "The UK has no industry any more," Sarkozy said in a response that recalled recent outbursts by his finance minister François Baroin and Bank of France governor Christian Noyer that Britain should have had its credit rating downgraded before France because the UK had a weaker economy and higher deficit.
While it is not uncommon for certain world leaders to campaign on behalf of friends in neighbouring countries - Vladimir Putin has often vigorously supported candidates in former Soviet states - European politicians have generally adhered to an unwritten pact not to interfere with elections in other member states. Tensions between Paris and London reached a nadir after David Cameron used his veto at December's crunch EU summit but government sources sought to play down the latest remarks. One British source said: "It is not true. The percentage of GDP that is manufacturing is 11%, the same as in France. He has got an election."
They may support each other on certain issues - former German chancellor Helmut Kohl famously appeared on French TV alongside François Mitterand ahead of a referendum on France joining the euro - but to board their battle buses and speak at their rallies seems a new step, said Ulrike Guérot, an expert on Franco-German relations at the European Council on Foreign Relations. But, she said, it is likely to become ever more common as European leaders build a "transnational democracy". As Cameron arrived in Brussels on Monday he told Europe's politicians they needed to "get really serious" about promoting jobs and growth in the EU. "We need to complete the single market, agree trade deals and make serious efforts to deregulate small businesses," he said.
Anke Hassel, professor of public policy at the Berlin-based Hertie School of Governance, said it was very unusual for a serving European leader to campaign for an international colleague's re-election. "I cannot think of another example," she said. She too believes such cross-border support could soon be commonplace. "I think we are in a profound period of change. Things are really being stirred up with the signing of the new fiscal treaty. This is the first step towards a much deeper integration on the political side of things." In a further sign that Sarkozy is facing a desperate fight to stay in power, it has emerged that Angela Merkel has pledged to help the president on the campaign trail later this year.
In these times of crisis, Merkel appears to be rewriting the "gentleman's rules" of what is largely still a boys' club. In October, she phoned the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, allegedly to "gently prod" him into getting rid of Silvio Berlusconi. The call, revealed in the Wall Street Journal after Berlusconi's defenestration, caused outrage in Italy. One Italian newspaper even ran a front page proclaiming "The Lard Arse Did It", a reference to Berlusconi's uncharitable nickname for his German counterpart. He allegedly prefixed the insult with "unfuckable". Hermann Gröhe, general secretary of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), confirmed at the weekend that she would "actively support Nicolas Sarkozy with joint appearances in the election campaign in the spring".
While it is not uncommon for certain world leaders to campaign on behalf of friends in neighbouring countries – Vladimir Putin has often vigorously supported candidates in former Soviet states – European politicians tend not to interfere with elections in other member states.
They may support each other on certain issues – former German chancellor Helmut Kohl famously appeared on French TV alongside François Mitterand ahead of a referendum on France joining the euro – but to board the battle buses and speak at rallies is a new step, said Ulrike Guérot, an expert on Franco-German relations at the European Council on Foreign Relations. It was likely to become more common, she said, as European leaders build a "transnational democracy".
Anke Hassel, professor of public policy at the Berlin-based Hertie School of Governance, said it was very unusual for a serving European leader to campaign for an international colleague's re-election. She too believes such cross-border support could become commonplace. "I think we are in a profound period of change. Things are really being stirred up with the signing of the new fiscal treaty. This is the first step towards a much deeper integration on the political side of things."
The strength of the endorsement is surprising for more personal reasons. Though the French and German leaders have been getting along better as the euro crisis bites deeper, the pair are far from the best of friends. At a gala in Frankfurt before Christmas marking the departure of the head of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, Sarkozy allegedly made ungentlemanly remarks about Merkel's fondness for cheese.The strength of the endorsement is surprising for more personal reasons. Though the French and German leaders have been getting along better as the euro crisis bites deeper, the pair are far from the best of friends. At a gala in Frankfurt before Christmas marking the departure of the head of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, Sarkozy allegedly made ungentlemanly remarks about Merkel's fondness for cheese.
Merkel's surprise announcement caught Paris on the back foot as Sarkozy, also of the centre-right, has yet to officially declare his candidacy for the election, which will take place over two rounds on 22 April and 6 May.Merkel's surprise announcement caught Paris on the back foot as Sarkozy, also of the centre-right, has yet to officially declare his candidacy for the election, which will take place over two rounds on 22 April and 6 May.
"I did not know she voted in France," the French president said in an interview with multiple television channels on Sunday evening. Kassel, however, said she did not believe Merkel would have endorsed Sarkozy without first seeking his consent. "I did not know she voted in France," the French president said in an interview with multiple television channels on Sunday evening. Hassel, however, said she did not believe Merkel would have endorsed Sarkozy without first seeking his consent.
At an election meeting of Sarkozy's UMP party in Paris on the weekend, Gröhe is said to have declared that the CDU are convinced Sarkozy "is the right man in the Elysée "now and in the future", the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported. "We need a strong France with a strong president in charge. That person is our friend Nicholas Sarkozy," said Gröhe. He criticised Sarkozy's presidential rival, the Socialist François Hollande, who travelled to Germany before Christmas to offer comradely support to the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Merkel's main domestic rival. Meanwhile, Hollande will seek to reassure the City of London during a visit to London next month after being accused of "political vindictiveness" towards Britain's financial heart.
"The Socialists are stuck in their dreams of the past. All they are doing is bringing out dusty concepts and wealth distribution fantasies from their moth-ridden policy cupboard," said Gröhe. None of Hollande's "hitherto vague pronouncements" offered a solution to the pressing problems of our time, he added, citing his proposal to lower the age of retirement. The Socialist party candidate will begin a cross-Channel charm offensive aimed at calming growing tensions and re-establishing entente cordiale amid accusations that he has it in for Britain's banks and financial institutions.
Merkel's endorsement could help Sarkozy, if polls are to be believed. One recent survey carried out on behalf of the French newspaper Le Monde suggested that more French people trusted the German chancellor than their own president. The 24-hour visit is pencilled in for the end of February, and although details have not yet been finalised, Hollande's advisors say he will "almost certainly" meet Ed Miliband and that he also hopes to talk to David Cameron.
By allying herself so clearly with Sarkozy, however, Merkel is also taking a risk. After her support for him became public, the SPD immediately insisted she follow France's lead and introduce a so-called Tobin tax. In his interview on Sunday, Sarkozy announced a 0.1% levy on all financial transactions in France, which he said would generate €bn (£800m) of new income and cut his budget deficit. If Hollande wins, Merkel will have some making up to do. "François Hollande is certainly not the bogeyman who has the City of London in his sights," a member of his campaign team said.
"I suspect this is some chicanery from the right to misconstrue his proposals, because there is no anti-City crusade in what he is proposing. He has said he wants financial institutions to be better regulated, but he is only saying what others, including Barack Obama and the Financial Times are saying … that having saved the banks in 2008 they should not be speculating on countries and stopping them from getting back on their feet."
The advisor, who did not wish to be named, added: "The world of finance has to go back to its primary role which should be to finance the real economy and not speculate. Even some great capitalists and fans of the free market agree with this."