Boost for Franco-German 'engine'

[Talon]

Boost for Franco-German 'engine'

The German opposition leader, Angela Merkel, has said the Franco-German alliance must remain the engine of progress in the European Union.

"All initiatives taken must be open to all European countries, but France and Germany must be the engine of these initiatives," she said in Paris.

Mrs Merkel is tipped to beat Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in elections expected to be held in September.

She was speaking after talks with French President Jacques Chirac.

She is also meeting French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin - both seen as leading contenders to replace President Chirac in 2007 if he decides not to stand again.

"Future European construction depends very much on Franco-German relations," Mrs Merkel said.

Mr Chirac and Chancellor Schroeder have developed a close partnership to deepen EU integration.

Doubts about Turkey

Mrs Merkel also repeated her opposition to Turkey becoming a member of the EU, saying that it was possible to bring Turkey closer to Europe without granting it full membership.

"We need to talk about the limits of enlargement. We need borders. People need to know where these borders are," she said.

"We need to find solutions, within a privileged partnership, which make it possible to bring Turkey and Europe together without going as far as accession."

Mrs Merkel, who heads the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and Mr Sarkozy, leader of Mr Chirac's governing UMP party, have both spoken about the need to reform their own political parties and the economies of their respective countries, to boost the European Union's effectiveness.

Their similar political views have prompted speculation about a reshaping of the EU if the two come to power.

Advantage to UK?

Both also admire the way Britain's economy has been transformed since the 1980s.

The BBC's Europe correspondent Tim Franks says the Franco-German engine has been seizing up in recent years, hit by the two countries' economic woes and the impact of EU enlargement.

Some other countries in the enlarged EU have resented what they have seen as particularly French condescension, our correspondent reports.

UK ministers are openly hoping that, with new leadership in Germany, and then possibly France, the motor could begin powering in a new, more anglocentric direction, he adds.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ope/4695943.stm

[Blackleaf]

The Franco-German engine has long since run out of gas.

In terms of economic growth, unemployment, foreign investment and GDP per capita, they are lagging behind Britain.

The world would be a much better place if Britain led the EU, rather than those two decrepit nations.