 Germany (which has the largest economy in Europe) is often regarded as the EU's economic leader, such as with the ongoing European sovereign debt crisis, whilst France and the United Kingdom (both permanent members of the UNSC) often lead in defence and foreign policy matters, such as the intervention in Libya in 2011.This, to an extent, represents a balancing of leadership power for the Western sphere of the continent.How this balance will change after the Brexit vote in 2016 is still an open matter.