The key message from French President Francois Hollande may have been clouded by allegations in his personal life.
But on Wednesday the economic strategy with public spending cuts and tax relief for business he revealed to the press has been welcomed in Germany.
It is seen as an ideological shift by Hollande with reforms it is believed which could revitalise his country’s flagging economy.
“What the French president presented yesterday is first of all courageous and second, in my view, the reporting of it did not get the attention it merited because of other topics which were allegedly interesting,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters.
Berlin it’s understood has been encouraging Holland to take reforming steps since he was elected. But some believe unions
and members of his own party could hamper his progress in implementing changes.
“France – at least on paper – is a centralist state and what the president says should happen. But in reality there is often strong resistance from the people or from the party, we have seen this very often. Sarkozy failed on that and Hollande must try once again,” said Daniel Gros of the Centre for European Policy Studies
An editorial in the conservative daily the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung was forthright in its assessment. “Hollande has opened a big can of worms which will unsettle his country, Berlin will be watching to see if he can stay the course with his shift.”
