Queen's Quandary: Chancellor Merkel's Power Erodes in Europe
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/european-center-left-challenging-merkel-leadership-in-eu-a-976918.html
For years, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the strongest politician in the European Union. Lately, her hold on power has become weaker -- and one of the greatest challenges is coming from within her own government.
Queen's Quandary: Chancellor Merkel's Power Erodes in Europe
By SPIEGEL Staff
June 24, 2014 10:05 AM
Not long ago, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel was traveling in southern France with a small group of other Social Democrats when they stopped off at a countryside restaurant for a bite to eat. The welcome they received was not exactly warm: "If you Germans keep going like this, you are going to ruin the EU," the restaurant owner told them.
Taken aback, Gabriel mumbled under his breath that he didn't really want to know who the woman had voted for in the recent European Parliament elections. And soon, the group was engaged in a lively discussion about the degree to which France's right-wing Front National party had benefited from the austerity policies that Germany had imposed on many euro-zone member states during the common currency crisis.
One day after the mealtime debate, Gabriel, who is also Germany's economy minister, spoke to journalists during a tour of the Airbus facility in Toulouse. European policies have to be revisited, Gabriel said. "The focus on pure austerity policies has failed," he claimed.
The reporters couldn't believe their ears. Did he really just say that? Is Gabriel in the process of turning away from the highly touted Stability Pact after years of backing German Chancellor Angela Merkel's euro-crisis strategy? Is he trying to pick a fight with Europe's austerity queen?