„But we cannot stand still,“ Hollande said, in the interview published alongside a profile of Jacques Delors, the former head of the European Commission.

Delors, a former French economics and finance minister who turns 90 on Monday, is one of the architects of the euro.

„I have proposed taking up Jacques Delors‘ idea about euro government, with the addition of a specific budget and a parliament to ensure democratic control,“ Hollande said.