Germany, France linked as never before in crisis-hit EU

[Flagg]

GERMANY, FRANCE LINKED AS NEVER BEFORE IN CRISIS-HIT EU


BERLIN, Jan 15 (AFP) - Franco-German ties are set to grow stronger than ever if the EU powerhouses take the reins of a two-speed Europe, but their alliance risks sparking greater distrust and anger from smaller nations left behind.
The failure of the European Union last month to reach an accord on a first-ever constitution for the bloc led Paris and Berlin to propose that a vanguard of countries could move forward alone on key policy issues.
But observers warn such a split could leave deep divisions in the bloc and give rise to new resentment among smaller nations just as the EU welcomes 10 mainly ex-communist countries as members on May 1.
"No one wants to see a new division of our continent into a Europe of two speeds," German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told a recent Berlin forum on the future of Europe joined by leaders from across the EU.
For months, Fischer has said that such a division would only represent a "last resort" to avoid total gridlock in the expanded 25-nation bloc.

http://www.ttc.org/ta40118b.htm