Government collapses in Berlin and now Paris will hamper efforts to address Europe’s burgeoning deficits and spluttering competitiveness.
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00:00The collapse of the French government by a vote of no confidence and snap parliamentary
00:11elections in February in Germany, entangled in domestic political crises, Paris and Berlin
00:18could now lose influence on the European stage.
00:22Could the breakdown of the Franco-German engine in turn weaken the European Union?
00:52Political instability on both sides of the Rhine comes at a critical time.
01:10As Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, he threatens to raise tariffs
01:14and leaves doubt about his support for Ukraine.
01:20The new Commission, which has just taken office, must also take urgent decisions on
01:24competitiveness and defence.
01:50In the face of the declining Franco-German leadership, other countries such as Donald
01:59Tusk's Poland or the UK, although it has left the EU, could step up, especially on
02:04defence and security issues.
02:07However, the cars are far from being redistributed.
02:11Germany and France together account for almost half of the EU's GDP, nearly one third of
02:17its population and about one third of its budget.