For years, Berlin watched with growing frustration (bordering on panic) as both Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande failed to enact serious reforms in the face of the country’s increasingly difficult economic situation.
Macron knew that to succeed in Europe, he would have to win over Germany and the only way to do that is to fix France. The precipitous decline in his standing at home over the past year, culminating in the “uprising” by the Yellow Jackets, has robbed Macron of the legitimacy he needs on the European stage.