Looking for clues in the speeches of Merkel, Sarkozy

Absent any concrete details on a possible solution to the euro debt crisis, The Economist resigns itself to reading the tea leaves – or, rather, the recent speeches of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nikolas Sarkozy.

In reading between the lines of recent speeches, the weekly provides a full analysis of the areas of agreement, and, more often, the areas of difference.

Outlined in its preview article, those differences range from the posture the Central Bank should take – Sarkozy wants a bolder ECB, while Merkel favors a more independent bank –  to the manner in which the union integrates. Both favor an approach most reminiscent of their own nation’s governing structure.