Germany and the next French president: in search of the best partner. EPC Commentary, 20 April 2017

Many hope that after the upcoming French and German elections, a renewed and invigorated Franco-German tandem will be able to breathe some new life into the European integration process. A lot, however, will depend on who the next French president will be. The popularity of the two French extremist candidates, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen, and the prospect of their potential success in the presidential race is creating political anxiety in Berlin. But whom would the Germans rather see become the next French president? In this Commentary, Yann-Sven Rittelmeyer takes a look at the upcoming French elections from a German point of view and analyses what Berlin’s preference indicates for the future of the Franco-German cooperatio