Fillon said it was time Hollande “toughened up and ended his friends’ escalation of anti-German remarks.”

Speaking in Asnières-sur-Oise near Paris, Fillon said “Nicolas Sarkozy does not need to learn patriotism from people who believe defending our national interests means mocking our German friends.”

In recent weeks, Socialist heavyweights have made references to the Franco-Prussian war and World War II to describe the Germany’s stance on the eurozone crisis.

Leading Socialist Arnaud Montebourg last week accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of carrying out “Bismarck-style” policies.

In November, Socialist lawmaker Jean-Marie Le Guen said Sarkozy was behaving like French PM Edouard Daladier at the Munich conference in 1938.

On Monday, Sarkozy will be meeting Merkel in Paris to thrash out plans to save the euro as investors warn the sovereign debt is threatening the European currency.

Meanwhile, Hollande is meeting leaders of the German left-wing SPD party in Berlin to discuss their approach to the eurozone crisis.

In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche on Sunday, Hollande insisted the history of Europe depended on the German-French driving force.

“Let’s not confuse governments’ policies with countries themselves,” he said.