Read the video transcript here
It is hard to imagine life without her, too: Chancellor Angela Merkel at her one hundred and seventh and probably last EU summit in Brussels.
The day before, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was obviously looking forward to welcoming her compatriot.
Merkel reacts with restraint.
After all, the corona pandemic is not over yet and shaking hands as a greeting gesture is no longer the measure of all things due to the possible spread of viruses.
This one handshake is probably no longer important for Merkel.
In the last 16 years of her term in office, she has shaken many hands from many heads of government.
This is also proven by a farewell video that was played during the current EU summit in honor of Merkel.
The summit in Brussels is probably the last for the outgoing Chancellor.
Since her first EU summit in December 2005, Angela Merkel has sat at the conference table with four French presidents, five British prime ministers and eight Italian prime ministers.
Incidentally, if the parties in Germany fail to form a government coalition by mid-December, Merkel will return to Brussels for another summit.
Maybe hands can then be shaken again.
