François Hollande’s government has sought to distance itself from damaging attacks on Germany from within the ruling socialist party, including a document damning Chancellor Angela Merkel for her “selfish intransigence”, reports The Financial Times.
Jean-Marc Ayrault, prime minister, stressed the importance of Franco-German friendship on Monday, saying it depended on “intense and respectful” dialogue.
Mr Ayrault, a former German language teacher, tweeted in German: “The German-French relationship is central to give the European project new momentum.”
Other ministers condemned the internal party policy document that contained the attack on Ms Merkel and rebuked Claude Bartolone, the socialist speaker of the National Assembly, for calling for “confrontation” with Berlin over its insistence on austerity policies.
Pierre Moscovici, finance minster, said talk of confrontation was “totally counter- productive”. Bernard Cazeneuve, the budget minister, said the French left must adopt a “responsible policy” if it wanted to have influence in Europe, including accepting the need to restore the public finances.
The criticism of Germany provoked an unusual joint statement by François Fillon, prime minister in the former centre right government, and Jean-François Copé, his arch-rival for the leadership of the mainstream opposition UMP party.
Mr Hollande’s “shameful behaviour” towards Germany had produced a “catastrophic result”, they said. “France is isolated in Europe, her voice inaudible.”
Although embarrassed by the latest statement, President Hollande has made no secret of what he calls “friendly tensions” with Berlin. Mr Ayrault said “rich, nourished” relations between the two sides “do not exclude debate” over policies.
The German government on Monday dismissed the spat as an internal problem for the French left. Steffen Seibert, Ms Merkel’s spokesman, told journalists: “Only government action counts – the rest is mood music.”
But others in the ruling centre-right coalition were more outspoken. “The attacks by high-ranking French socialists on the chancellor are unusual and inappropriate,” said Andreas Schockenhoff, a deputy leader of Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats in the Bundestag and a foreign relations expert.
“It shows the despair of the socialists, who one year after entering government have found no answers to the economic and financial problems facing their country.”
Read more of this article from The Financial Times.