Victory for Le Pen in France's presidential election would have big repercussions for France — and the rest of the EU

Apr 22, 2022
The leader of France's far-right National Rally party has promised radical change if she wins the presidency.
Though opinion polls show a Marine Le Pen victory as unlikely, she was at one point only 3 percentage points behind President Emmanuel Macron.
Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images

G-7 summit in France expected to be contentious

Aug 23, 2019
This year’s G-7 will not issue a joint communiqué after the meetings.
Oxfam activists wearing firefighters costumes and "big head" masks depicting (from L) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and German Chancellor Angela Merkel perform during a demonstration in Biarritz on August 23, 2019, on the eve of the Group of Seven (G7) summit.
BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images

Another week, another round of trade conversations

Apr 27, 2018
This week European leaders met with President Trump, there's new numbers on the economy out ... let's break down the week's economic news.
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) during a joint news conference at the East Room of the White House April 27, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Merkel to stress tariffs threat to American jobs

Apr 25, 2018
Call it a one-two punch from the European Union. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit the White House on Friday, just days after French President Emmanuel Macron. The two European leaders are pushing the same agenda in their meetings with Trump.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

Steel may be on the menu at the state dinner

Apr 24, 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for a permanent exemption from tariffs for the European Union.  Today will be the second day of Macron’s three-day state visit, and the biggest event will be the first state dinner since President Donald Trump took office 15 months ago. But it won’t be all glitz and glam. Macron […]

Angela Merkel's woes echo beyond Germany's borders

Dec 7, 2017
The chancellor is struggling to secure a ruling coalition. The EU could be affected.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's political vulnerability coincides with French President Emanuel Macron's call for an overhaul of the European Union.
Philipp Guelland - Pool/Getty Images

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Will Merkel go along with Macron's EU reform plan?

Oct 9, 2017
The French president needs German support for his ambitious program, which includes closer cooperation between the member states.
“[French President Emmanuel] Macron and France are incredibly important to Germany and the stability of the European Union, now with Britain out,” says Christian Odendahl of the Centre for European Reform. Above, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Macron talk before the G20 Summit in June in Berlin.
Steffi Loos-Pool/Getty Images

Trump and Macron have reasons to find common ground

Jul 14, 2017
President Trump is visiting France and its new president, Emmanuel Macron, at an auspicious moment for the French economy. After years of lackluster performance following the global financial crisis, unemployment has fallen below 10 percent, and labor market reforms are taking hold. Trump and Macron are both relative political outsiders who have disrupted their countries’ […]

A big win for France's centrist party in parliamentary elections could push forward labor reform

Jun 9, 2017
Last month, France elected pro-business political newcomer Emmanuel Macron as president, but the French aren’t done voting. The country’s parliamentary elections kick off Sunday, and the president’s new centrist party is expected to win a large majority. If that happens, Macron could have the support he needs to reform France’s strong labor protection laws, which […]