CNBC reports that when influential German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves office after the country’s upcoming federal election, many political pundits will be keeping an eye on France.

That’s because experts think that President Emmanuel Macron is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to try to replace Germany as Europe’s de facto leader.

Macron is likely to attempt to become Europe’s central figurehead once Merkel leaves, analysts say, and has been positioning himself to achieve that for a while.

“As regards Macron, we already see tentative attempts to take leadership in Europe,” Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING, said.

He pointed to “Macron’s interventions when it comes to European debates on fiscal rules.” France has called for the EU to relax rules regarding member states’ budget deficits and debt-to-GDP levels, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic, while Germany has traditionally opposed any loosening of the rules.