France: Hollande prepares himself for leadership Much is being expected of the man who has no previous ministerial experience and is taking over a key European economy at a time of wider European crisis. Analysts say Hollande had better hit the ground running. President Nicolas Sarkozy is handing over France after negotiating a strict fiscal treaty to deal with the eurozone debt crisis. Hollande intends to change all that, taking a message of growth to Berlin within hours of his inauguration. But will Germany's Chancellor be listening? Angela Merkel may have been weakened by disastrous election results in the country's most populous state but she has stressed that that will not affect her tough European austerity policies. Hollande's first challenge will be to try to build a wider consensus for his approach while agreeing on how to cope with the Greek crisis. With his first cabinet meeting, a trip to the US, a G8 summit and a NATO conference, Hollande's first week as president has been described as a baptism of fire. More about: Angela Merkel, France 2012, François Hollande, French politics, Germany, Nicolas Sarkozy