Merkel to Join Sarkozy on Campaign Trail for French Presidential Election
THE GUARDIAN: Merkel's plan to make joint appearances with Sarkozy is seen as highly unusual but also a sign of things to come in Europe

Eyebrows are being raised across Europe after Angela Merkel pledged to join Nicholas Sarkozy on the campaign trail in his bid to be re-elected French president later this year.
In an unusual - and potentially risky - move, the German chancellor promised to go on the stump with her Gallic counterpart in an attempt to keep him in the Elysée.

Hermann Gröhe, general secretary of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), confirmed over the weekend that she would "actively support Nicolas Sarkozy with joint appearances in the election campaign in the spring".

While it is not uncommon for certain world leaders to campaign on behalf of friends in neighbouring countries - Vladimir Putin has often vigorously supported candidates in former Soviet states - European politicians have generally adhered to an unwritten pact not to interfere with elections in other member states.

They may support each other on certain issues - former German chancellor Helmut Kohl famously appeared on French TV alongside François Mitterand ahead of a referendum on France joining the euro - but to board their battle buses and speak at their rallies seems a new step, said Ulrike Guérot, an expert on Franco-German relations at the European Council on Foreign Relations. But, she said, it is likely to become ever more common as European leaders build a "transnational democracy". » | Helen Pidd in Berlin | Monday, January 30, 2012