France at the G20

France is the second largest economy in the European Union, which, taken as a whole, is the largest economy in the world. The G-20 this year was an important time for all members of the EU, but was particularly important for the larger economies in the EU such as France and Germany, who were faced with trying to solve the European debt crisis and the possibility of having to bail out countries such as Greece and Italy.

For the President of France, Nicholas Sarkozy, the G-20 summit overcast with politics, as the 2012 elections loom nearer. Sarkozy is faced with the challenges of reducing France's deficit, preserving the country's credit rating while resisting the pull downward from other debt swamped nations in the EU. The debt in the European Union has all but taken over Sarkozy's life when he had to rush from the hospital where his daughter was being born last month to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the economic crisis.

So what exactly happened for France at the G-20? As a whole, the G-20 members accepted the plan that the EU came up with last month to solve the European debt crisis, and the plea from Sarkozy to implement a tax on financial transactions was turned down. So, nothing too exciting, unless you count that Barack Obama and Nicholas Sarkozy, unaware that microphones were turned on, were caught dissing the Israeli Prime Minister.

- Ysabel Yates