Politico: France has become the "sickest man in Europe" "The sickest man of Europe" is a journalistic phrase that is assumed to have been used by Nicholas I for the first time in relation to the Ottoman Empire shortly before its collapse. Later, the term came into use; The press began to refer to European countries experiencing a decline as such. As Politico writes, France has become the new "sick man of Europe" just in time for the presidential elections, caught "in a vicious circle of mutually reinforcing economic and social crises." According to officials and diplomats interviewed for the publication, the republic could find itself in a situation similar to what happened in Italy in 2011. Then the head of the cabinet was Mario Monti, instead of Silvio Berlusconi. Investors remain skeptical of French government securities and are selling them or demanding higher yields due to the authorities' failure to significantly reduce the budget deficit and public debt. In addition, there is a possibility of further disturbances. Investors are also spooked by the prospect of either Le Pen or Melanchon winning, as both promise to lower the retirement age at a cost of billions of euros. "They put a knife to our throat, and we already feel drops of blood flowing down. We must show that we have heard the outrage [of the protesters]. But we have little room for maneuver given the market situation," said one of the ministers.