Franco-German leadership in times of crises? The role of the Franco-German couple in the European Union since President Hollande

In the present work, my focus is on the five-year term of President Hollande from May 2012 to May 2017. I strive to analyse if the Franco-German couple provided leadership to the European Union as it faced crises during the term of office of President Hollande. I chose the Ukraine crisis because France and Germany played a major role in it. They negotiated in the Normandy format together with Russia and Ukraine on how to achieve a ceasefire and to restore peace in Ukraine. I chose the refugee crisis because France and Germany have not appeared as having a common and visible Franco-German approach to manage the refugee crisis together with their European partners. The question on leadership arises, and especially on the reasons why the Franco-German couple had problems to provide leadership. As a result of the analysis of the refugee crisis, new conditions for France and Germany to act as a leading couple for the European Union may emerge. My main argument is that during Hollande’s Presidency, at the European stage, conditions for leadership of the Franco-German couple have generally deteriorated. In the fourth chapter I elaborate that France and Germany were perceived as acting on behalf of the European Union. What is striking for the management of the Ukraine crisis is that Germany reversed the basic movement of the Franco-German couple and initiated a Franco-German response. In the fifth chapter on the refugee crisis I argued that the Franco-German couple did not provide leadership and present four arguments. My main argument on the refugee crisis is that Franco-German leadership did not occur because of massive incomprehension between France and Germany on refugee policy. Furthermore, Germany's approach was unilateral and detrimental to reaching a compromise.