Are France and Germany the Last Hope for the EU?

With Britain leaving the European Union, a surge in support for populist and anti-EU parties across the continent, and an uncertain United States that seems to be pulling away from Europe, France and Germany – under centrist French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel – look increasingly like the glue that is holding the union together. Their ability to work with each other in coming months and years could mean the success or failure of the European project.

The idea of a Franco-German engine steering Europe forward is nothing new; France has long been viewed as Europe’s military might, and Germany the continent’s economic powerhouse. Together, the idea goes, they can mold and maintain a strong EU.