Trappist monks of the Mont des Cats abbey go through the polling booth in Godewaersvelde, northern France, Sunday March 21, 2004, as voters in France's 26 regions begin choosing representatives to decide issues ranging from building local schools to running public transport.

Former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, speaks as part of his campaign for the leadership of his conservative UMP party in Lambersart, northern France, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014. Sarkozy held his first rally Thursday in his campaign for the leadership of his conservative UMP party, seen as a first step toward running for president of France in 2017. Amid widespread disappointment with Socialist President Francois Hollande, many of Sarkozy’s followers are eager to see him back in the president’s

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande react after a speech in front of the Reims cathedral in Reims, eastern France (Foto vom 08.07.12). Leaders of France and Germany meet to mark 50 years of an important step toward cooperation after two world wars, amid today's tensions over Europe's financial crisis.