In May 2007, Sarkozy was elected president of France, Blair announced his resignation as British Prime Minister, and the current Chancellor of the Exchequer Brown took over. In addition, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been in office for more than a year, has basically completed the alternation of old and new leaders of the three major European countries, and Europe has entered a new era of "Three Musketeers". During the reign of Schroeder, Chirac and Blair, Europe made great progress, which not only achieved the largest expansion in the history of the EU, but also enhanced the international prestige of the EU as never before. At the same time, the EU also faces many problems, the most obvious of which is the decline of economic competitiveness and the impact of employment opportunities, making it difficult to adapt to global competition. Other problems in Europe, such as the constitutional crisis and social unrest, are closely related to the economic downturn and high unemployment rate.
A key reason why Europe does not adapt to globalization is the drag of the welfare system, so the welfare reform in Europe is imperative. Both Schroeder and Chirac were troubled by reform when they were in office: on the one hand, it is difficult to improve the economy without reform; On the other hand, reform will offend voters to a great extent, so that there will be a situation of "whoever reforms will step down". Under the pressure of election, the two men were cautious about the reform and the reform effect was not good. The new generation of leaders have high hopes for reform. Merkel actively promoted the reform of various social and economic systems in Germany, promulgated the tax reform law and adjusted the medical system, and achieved initial results.
In 2006, the GDP growth rate of Germany reached the highest level of 2.8% in six years, the export growth momentum was strong, and the employment situation improved a lot. All walks of life in Germany are generally optimistic about the economic prospects. In contrast, the situation in France is much worse. The reform attempt of the last de Villepin government was frustrated, and the French economy continued to slump, almost becoming the slowest country in the European Union. Sarkozy shouted the slogan of reform during the election campaign, advocating cutting social welfare and strengthening competition and innovation mechanism. Compared with France and Germany, the economic situation of Britain has been improving in recent years. After Brown became prime minister, there will be no major changes in economic and social policies except those concerning education and medical system.