On 12 December 2011, French cartoonist Coco (Corine Rey) paints a sombre portrait of the Franco-German duo Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, who are trying as best they can to deal with the debt crisis rocking the euro zone. In driving rain, the German Chancellor is holding an umbrella shaped like the euro symbol, which seems to offer scant protection, while the French President is trying to shelter under the protective arm of his German partner.