The Franco-German tussle at the heart of who will lead the EU

“The Franco-German relationship hasn’t been plain sailing for quite a while so it is not a big surprise that the leaders clash over who will become president,” said Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank.

“But it is important for Emmanuel Macron to have his way because at least on eurozone issues it seems back home that he didn’t get what he promised the public when he was running for the presidency.

“The question is does Macron get what he wants, or does Germany and the member states package it so it looks like he has got his way? That is when we get to compromise candidates acceptable to both Berlin and France,” she continued. “What it means, unfortunately for the European project, is that instead of ending up with someone pretty bold on the big challenges we could end up with a candidate who is not as bold as the public would like.