Merkel & Macron Called King & Queen of Europe

Merkel & Macron Called King & Queen of Europe

Euro News calls German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron the king and queen of Europe. 

Choreographed or not, the moment epitomised the unity and common purpose that the two leaders want to present, now that a British Prime Minister is no longer able to build alliances to challenge their countries' positions as the pre-eminent forces of the European Union.

It appears that Brexit has only driven them closer together. Not only do they finish each other's sentences, but they broke with tradition at the EU Summit, giving a joint press conference.

The German Chancellor has heaps of problems on her plate, including forming a government in limbo after the September elections. Leaders of Germany's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) agreed on Friday to enter talks on a new government led by Merkel conservative Union bloc (CDU). Merkel's earlier attempts to form a coalition with two smaller parties collapsed in November. What seems clear is that SPD is seeking an arrangement that will keep Merkel as Chancellor and thwart any possibilities that the German government will collapse. 

In France, Emmanuel Macron's popularity has recovered in what Politico Europe calls an 'unprecedented' bounceback. Fifty-two percent of respondents in a new poll are now satisfied with Macron's presidency, an increase of six points.