| Article on EurActiv.com - www.euractiv.com The second largest economy in Europe and a debt-ridden country on the brink of default. France and Greece are holding elections this Sunday in what can be the day that Europe re-shapes its economic future. According to the latest polls, French socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande is 7 points ahead of his rival President Nicolas Sarkozy. Hollande has openly rejected the current austerity trend that dominates Europe in favour of growth-oriented measures. "The French elections are going to be a big game-changer for Europe and probably for the world. I'm sure Francois Hollande will win the elections and then we will have a different kind of France, a different kind of French-German relationship, different kind of european priorities. I expect that a lot will change as far the growth objectives are concerned", says Georgi Gotev, Senior Editor at EurActiv.com. As a center piece of the so-called Merkozy alliance to steer Europe out of the crisis, the EU fiscal treaty is a big concern for the left-winger. Hollande believes it needs to be re-negotiated. If his victory becomes reality, a growth-minded Paris is set to clash with an austerity-minded Berlin. Francois Hollande will be much more difficult to deal with from the point of view of Angela Merkel, specially on the treaty side and the budgetary discipline. He's been pushing hard for this growth initiative, which Angela Merkel has only partially subscribed to".says Frederic Simon ... |
