FRANCE: President-elect Francois Hollande meets European Council President Herman Van Rompuy before Hollande's trip to Berlin

Record ID: 860873

  • Title: FRANCE: President-elect Francois Hollande meets European Council President Herman Van Rompuy before Hollande's trip to Berlin
  • Date: 10th May 2012
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (MAY 9, 2012) (REUTERS) JOURNALISTS GATHERED OUTSIDE THE SOCIALIST PARTY HEADQUARTERS BARRIER/ HAND HOLDING PICTURE OF FRENCH PRESIDENT-ELECT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE JOURNALISTS BEHIND BARRIER CAR CARRYING EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT HERMAN VAN ROMPUY ARRIVING VAN ROMPUY WALKING TO BUILDING CAMERAMAN FILMING VAN ROMPUY COMING OUT AFTER MEETING WITH HOLLANDE AND GETTING INTO CAR CAR LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 25th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • City:
  • Country: France
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5HW7Y5IAUC5K5K3HQ49GLKIHK
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: European Council President Herman Van Rompuy was in Paris on Wednesday (May 9) to meet French president-elect Francois Hollande, whose anti-austerity election campaign swept him to the Elysee in Sunday's presidential ballot.
    Hollande also plans to meet Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker on Thursday.
    The two meetings came ahead of an anticipated trip to Berlin where top of the agenda will be Hollande's opposition to the austerity measures which have characterised the European reaction to the economic crisis. Hollande believes the austerity consensus is stifling growth.
    Hollande's predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, enjoyed very good relations with Berlin and his working relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been seen as central to the European response to euro zone woes.
    Hollande is now calling for negotiations to add pro-growth instruments such as project bonds to the budget responsibility treaty agreed by European Union leaders in February.
    Juncker, head of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers and also prime minister of Luxembourg, said on Monday he had made it clear to Hollande in a telephone call that he could not renegotiate the fiscal pact.
    Van Rompuy was also due to meet with outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday, officials at the presidential palace said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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