Germany’s talks were made more complex by the fact a three-way coalition had never been attempted before at national level. The FDP liberals, who had been all but wiped out politically after being Mrs Merkel’s junior partner from 2009 to 2013, wanted to make sure this time that they wouldn’t sell themselves short. In France, Emmanuel Macron can no longer be certain of building a strong Franco-German “engine” with Mrs Merkel to drive eurozone governance reform (this was a sticking point for the FDP). Although Germany’s main parties see eye to eye on the Brexit negotiations, the political uncertainty will divert attention from UK withdrawal still further. German policies have often been controversial in Europe, but Mrs Merkel’s role in finding solutions – whether with Turkey on migration or on Russia sanctions over Ukraine – has frequently been decisive.

Source: The Guardian November 20, 2017 15:45 UTC