France is the new “sick man of Europe,” the foreign minister of Poland has said, citing Yellow Vest unrest and the recent jihadist attack in Strasbourg. Poland, on the other hand, is a “bright spot” of the continent, he said.
France’s problems are hurting the whole region, Jacek Czaputowicz told TV channel Polsat News on Monday.
France is the sick man of Europe, it is a drag on Europe while Poland is a bright spot.
The terrorist attack in Strasbourg, which left five people dead, as well as the Yellow Vest protests that have been raging over the past few weeks, prove “that something is not right in France,” according to the official. At the same time, “President Macron’s withdrawal of state reforms” – caused by the pressure from the protesters – is a “sad” thing as well.
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The unenviable title of “the sick man of Europe” was coined in the mid-19th century and originally referred to the Ottoman Empire, as the other, powerful empires of old were circling the declining state.
As the Ottoman Empire collapsed in the aftermath of the World War I, many European countries were branded “sick,” when they experienced various domestic troubles.
France itself isn’t a first-time recipient of the questionable ‘honor’. In the late 2000s, it was designated so in a report by Morgan Stanley, while European media referred to France by this ‘title’ in mid 2010s.
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