French President elect Francois Hollande, will travel to Germany this week to meet with Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, a meeting that has raised expectations for their differences on European policies to address the crisis.

According to Prensa Latina,Hollande, who will arrive in Berlin on Tuesday just hours after being sworn in, advocated during his election campaign to renegotiate the austerity treaty signed in March by 25 of the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) to incorporate measures to encourage growth and employment.

“Europe looks at us. Austerity can not be a fatality,” Hollande said in his first speech to the nation after being elected and added that his objective is “to give European integration a new dimension.”

At a time of popular discontent in the region because of welfare cuts and the loss of jobs, the representative of the Socialist Party considers that it is necessary to counterbalance the policies of budgetary austerity.

Merkel said “she will welcome with open arms” to Hollande, although in recent days she has insisted that the tax covenant is not renegotiable.

On Tuesday’s meeting, Merkel said, “it is a conversation to know each other” and predicted that good cooperation will be developed thereafter.

“Since the founding of the Federal Republic, we know that good Franco-German relations are simply too important for both countries,” Merkel said.

Pierre Moscovici, spokesman for President-elect stressed that the aim of this meeting is that both leaders speak frankly for progress.

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