France's freshly inaugurated Socialist president plunged Tuesday into the economic mess that has perplexed policymakers and threatened governments by calling for policies that would spur growth in the ailing eurozone. "I said that my wish is that growth is not an empty phrase, that it is something which, in reality, is happening," Francois Hollande told reporters in a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. "Because, without growth, we can't do whatever we want, we won't reach the goals which we want to -- and to reduce the debt and deficit." He said the best solution would be to "put everything on the table" on May 23, when the region's leaders plan to meet next.
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"My wish is that growth is not an empty phrase," Hollande says
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The French president says Greeks must decide their own fate
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Hollande names fellow Socialist Jean-Marc Ayrault as prime minister
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