German Chancellor Angela Merkel enjoyed close relations with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy but not with successor Francois Hollande. Differences over austerity are part of the problem.
More than a million foreigners flocked to Germany for work last year, the biggest influx since 1995. Most of the migrants were from Eastern Europe, but many came from recession-hit countries elsewhere in the euro zone.
Linked by a common currency, the countries in the euro zone are roped together like climbers scaling a cliff face. If one or more loses their footing, the rest could come crashing down.
Ground staff at Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, walked off the job Monday on a one-day strike that prompted the company to cancel most of the day's scheduled flights.
The overwhelming yes vote came after a warning from Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble that if Cyprus was allowed to go bankrupt, other euro zone countries would be at risk.
Greeks fed up with their country's economic woes see a quick fix — Germany stumping up more than $200 billion in further reparations for World War II aggression. Germans are unimpressed.
