Anyway, French for me. They have hugely massive companies. Renult, Airbus, Pugeot etc etc. Have the EU's largest and busiest ship yards. Their Nuclear reactor technology are light years ahead of anyone elses. They have the fastest trains, invented the Concorde. They do just as good as Britain, but don't rely on US technology like us. (Radar, planes, nuclear deterrant etc etc etc. Even there health service is superior to the UKs now. To me, they are far far more industrious today than any other European country. Politically, they are strong and independent. And although they sometimes have radically different views from the US and UK, credit and respect to them for always standing to their guns and never giving in! I'm sorry, but even my opinion of the UK is gloomy, here we've lost everything due to, what I'd blame, a work force of layabouts who think the world owe them a living because we won 2 wars and had an empire. They all need a kick up the back side into the 21st century! We manufacture next to nothing on a huge scale. Anyway I don't think the French are actually giving the credit they are due. As for Italy, there country is gorgeous, but I suppose that this is more a sympathy vote for the French as I think there both equal.