Just a tired diesel engine

„We can do this“ was Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande’s common message to the European Parliament. But the franco german engine has lost its pull.

[dropcap]G[/dropcap]reat Britain ist out. Ireland is out. Denmark is out. Eastern Europe as a whole is pulling the hand brake. To Hollande and Merkel this must have felt as the right moment to pull out the franco german magic.

But there was not much on offer besides vague allusions to ‚bigger solidarity‘ and ‚more Europe‘. Both leaders do not seem to have their hearts in it.

Hollande originally did not care much about EU wide quotas. It took Germany’s unilateral opening of its borders to get him aligned to Merkel’s plan.

Hollande is Merkel’s Second in Command

This promptly made him a laughing stock to the right wing ‚Front National‘. FN head Marine Le Pen called out Hollande as Merkel’s vice and France a mere province to Germany.

After all it was France that prevented last summer’s impending grexit. When it comes to security policy, Hollande assumes himself the farthest ahead in Europe.

But even here Merkel runs over her so called friend. She is leading the European policy in the Russia Ukraine conflict, and Hollande is more of an also-ran in the Normandy talks.

Merkel’s Europe is bogged down

This does not bode well for a common franco german engine to push Europe ahead. Once the rhetorics are switched off, it’s plain and simple German Europe.

And that one is up to its knees in the mud.