Brussels, 07/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President François Hollande are expected to tackle the issue of the presidency of the European Commission at the informal bilateral summit in Stralsund (Germany) on 9-10 May, two weeks away from the European elections.
Current events oblige that the two leaders review the situation in Ukraine and the impact of this situation on the development of relations between the EU and Russia. Merkel and Hollande are also expected to review the groundwork that they laid in February for increased bilateral cooperation - particularly in the areas of crisis management and in strategic sectors such as energy (see EUROPE 11022). The issue of the French industrial giant, Alstom, could also be addressed as General Electric (from the US) and Siemens (from Germany) have made bids to acquire Alstom's energy business. (MB)