Merkel to join Sarkozy in French campaigning Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, plans to join French president Nicolas Sarkozy on the campaign trail to help him in his bid for re-election, in an unusual move that underscores the close alliance they have forged during the eurozone crisis. "The CDU chairwoman, Chancellor Angela Merkel, will actively support Nicolas Sarkozy with joint appearances in the election campaign in the spring," the Christian Democrat party said in a statement on Sunday. The move, flagged on Saturday by Hermann Gröhe, CDU general secretary, at a meeting of Mr Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party in Paris, caused surprise in France as the president has yet to officially declare his candidacy and is not expected to do so for another month. The election takes place over two rounds, on April 22 and May 6. "France needs someone strong at its head and that is Mr Sarkozy," Mr Gröhe said. Mr Sarkozy, lagging in the opinion polls, has held up Germany's strong economy as an example France must follow if it is to regain its lost competitive industrial edge, regenerate growth and combat unemployment running at a 12-year high of close to 10 per cent of the workforce. He was set to unveil a set of reforms in a much heralded television appearance on Sunday night, including cutting labour costs and introducing more flexible employment terms, which owe much to similar reforms carried out in Germany in the last decade. Joint appearances on the campaign trail in France with Ms Merkel - cementing their joint "Merkozy" nickname - would mark a departure from past practice, where support during elections for fellow leaders of the same political hue is usually restrained. During the UK general election campaign in 2010, Ms Merkel pointedly withheld overt support for David Cameron, leader of the Conservative party. But although the relationship between her and Mr Sarkozy has been tense in the past, the two principal leaders in the eurozone have been forced to work very closely during the crisis and appear to have established a strong working rapport. Ms Merkel clearly wants to help prevent the defeat of Mr Sarkozy. He is struggling in the polls behind François Hollande, the opposition Socialist party challenger who has made a strong showing in the campaign over the past week. Mr Hollande has vowed to renegotiate the new "fiscal compact" for the eurozone largely constructed by Ms Merkel and Mr Sarkozy and due to be signed at Monday's European Union summit in Brussels. He also wants to forge a new Franco-German treaty, saying Germany must put more effort behind supporting growth in Europe. Mr Hollande reacted coolly to news of Ms Merkel's move. He said Mr Sarkozy was perfectly within his rights to invite her and she was "at liberty" to defend him. It would not prevent him being able to work with her, should he be elected, he said.