Key Points
     * When German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves office after Germany's
       federal election on Sept. 26, all eyes will be on France.
     * Experts believe France sees Merkel's departure as an opportunity to
       become even more influential in Europe.
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     * Experts believe France sees Merkel's departure as an opportunity to
       become even more influential in Europe.
     * French President Emmanuel Macron has his own election to fight in
       spring 2022.

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   When long-standing and influential German Chancellor Angela Merkel
   leaves office after the country's upcoming federal election, many
   political pundits will be keeping an eye on France.

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   One thing that might mollify Germany, Brzeski noted, was that it knows
   that Macron has his own presidential battles to come, with a French
   presidential election due next April.

   "This will leave less time for strong European leadership initiatives,
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   "[I] guess that the real test case will come after the French
   elections, in case Macron gets re-elected. We could then see a more
   powerful attempt to grab European leadership. This gives any next
   German chancellor around a year to grow into Merkel's shoes," he said.
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   Like the rest of Europe, France is closely following the course of the
   election campaign in Germany and will have watched the rise in
   popularity of the center-left Social Democratic Party with interest.