Merkel, Hollande call for European unity in face of big challenges
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives
at the National Palace in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa October 11,
2016.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois
Hollande on Friday (January 27) underscored the need for European unity
in the face of growing internal and external threats, including the rise
of populism across Europe and U.S. threats to abandon free trade.
“Europe faces big internal and external challenges which we … can
only master by working together,” Merkel told a news conference on
Friday with Hollande.
She added: “We need a clear, common commitment to the European Union,
to what we have accomplished, and to the values of our liberal,
democratic democracies.”
Hollande said the rise of populists on the continent was a major threat for the European Union. “To be very honest, what threatens Europe doesn’t only come from
outside. It is also from inside.
This means the rise of extremists who
use external factors to cause disruption internally,” Hollande said.
The two leaders did not take questions and were due to pay their respects at the site of the Christmas market attack in Berlin.
