03/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - Hans-Gert Poettering, President of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, said he was confident in a "crushing" victory for Jacques Chirac in the second round of the presidential elections in France: according to him, "a vote for Chirac will also be a "vote for Europe". In press release, the Euro-MP member of the CDU also hopes that Chirac's victory will be followed by a change of government in France putting an end to the co-habitation which, he says, is paralysing for Europe. According to him, "It is high time that Paris again takes strong initiatives", enabling France and Germany to once again become "the driving force of European policy".