Leaders have first meeting in Berlin

PRESIDENT Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel showed a united front over Greece on their first meeting, in Berlin.

The leaders stressed they both wanted to see Greece stay in the eurozone and said they would be thinking about new “growth measures” to help the country, which is in political turmoil and has new elections coming up.

The two countries are aware of the responsibility they have in Europe and have they duty to work together, Merkel said.

They did not hide the fact that strong differences remain between them over the enduring economic crisis, however they said they wanted more dialogue to work them through.

Hollande wants a focus on growth whereas Merkel thinks austerity is the key. Hollande hopes to negotiate a growth measures add-on to the EU budgetary discipline pact.

He said he will be tabling his ideas at the European Council meeting on May 23. They include issuing Eurobonds – suggested government bonds that would be issued by the EU states jointly - which Merkel has opposed. This would involve investors loaning money for a certain amount of time at a set interest rate, to the eurozone as a whole, which would then forward the money to individual governments. The rate would be based on an average of the ones used by different countries at present to finance themselves.

Hollande said he and Merkel had agreed that it was suitable to put forward all ideas and proposals and then afterwards look at what legal mechanisms might make them work.

The leaders met for about an hour and spoke mainly in their own languages, apart from a few words in English when their interpreters were absent.

“This meeting was not supposed to resolve all of the questions that have been asked; it’s main aim was for us to get to know each other, to establish a relationship and a working method so as to find a solution together,” said the new French president.

Previously Merkel had not hid her support for Sarkozy, whose politics more closely match hers, and Hollande had said he hoped for political change in Berlin.

Hollande’s trip to Germany was delayed after his presidential plane was hit by lightning shortly after take-off from Paris and, as a precautionary measure, had to land. He then took off in a replacement plane. It is something that happens quite regularly, according to an air travel expert quoted in the French press.

Merkel claimed to see in it “a good omen for cooperation” between France and Germany.

The appointment of former German teacher Jean-Marc Ayrault as prime minister has been seen as a positive step.
Photo: Screeshot from TF1