Germany’s European commissioner has questioned whether President François Hollande has the “willingness to act” to reform the French economy in a blunt warning set to add to tensions between Berlin and Paris.
Günther Oettinger, a political ally of chancellor Angela Merkel, insisted the European Commission should not sign off on France’s budget plans until it agrees to further austerity and economic liberalisation measures.
Writing in the Financial Times, he said France must live up to commitments to cut its budget deficit and said its new spending plan did not reform the pension system, cut labour costs or lower corporate taxes sufficiently.