Unemployment marks the divide between France and Germany

As unemployment rates are increasing in France while decreasing in Germany, the German press recently reported that there were contacts between the French President Froncois Hollande and Peter Hatz, an advisor to former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and author of the labour market reforms in Germany.

Mr Hollande has so far denied the news, which could mean a shift in his ideological matrix.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: 2014 will test Franco-German alliance, analysts predict http://www.europeansources.info/record/2014-will-test-franco-german-alliance-analysts-predict/

ESO: Background information: Hollande announces budget cuts, tax breaks http://www.europeansources.info/record/hollande-announces-budget-cuts-tax-breaks/

Spiegel Online International, 28.01.14: French Economics Minister: 'There Is No German Model for France' http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/spiegel-interview-with-french-economics-minister-pierre-moscovici-a-945845.html

BBC News [Video], 12.02.14: European economy: How French and German states compare http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26149791

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