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EU says goodbye emotionally to Merkel - guesswork around a gift for the "compromise machine"

2021-10-22T13:17:48.042Z


Angela Merkel completed her last EU summit. Warm words rained down - and gifts. There was talk of a “figure of light”. But there were no political successes.


Angela Merkel completed her last EU summit.

Warm words rained down - and gifts.

There was talk of a “figure of light”.

But there were no political successes.

Brussels - Another chapter of the Angela Merkel * era has ended: the outgoing Chancellor was adopted with standing applause at what will probably be her last EU summit. After a speech of thanks by Council President Charles Michel, the heads of state and government * rose on Friday and applauded the senior citizens in their squad, as announced by an EU diplomat. “You are a monument shouted Michel Merkel. In his address he emphasized that a summit without the Chancellor would be like "Rome without the Vatican or Paris without the Eiffel Tower".

Their wisdom will be particularly lacking in complex times.

Michel also praised Merkel's “sobriety and simplicity”.

“You are not leaving us.

Your spirit and your experience will stay with us, ”said the councilor.

“You are a compass and a shining light for our European project.” Then there was a standing ovation. 

As she parted, Merkel received homage from her EU colleagues - "Most people don't know that, but ..."

The tribute to Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel was somewhat curious: “I have to tell you, most people don't know that, but Ms. Merkel was such a compromise machine,” he said.

“So I'll miss her.

Europe will miss them.

And we as Luxembourgers, as neighbors, too.

It is a great person who will leave us. "

The new Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg called Angela Merkel * a “haven of calm in the EU” and “a great European”.

You will leave a "big gap".

The Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the Chancellor had "shaped Europe for 16 years" and praised her great "humanity".

He expressed the hope that the next Chancellor will "play an important role in Europe".

Merkel leaves Brussels: Guessing the gift - ceremony with historical video scenes

In addition to many words of appreciation, the Chancellor also received a few gifts.

According to diplomats, a two-minute video with summit scenes from the past 16 years was shown at a small farewell ceremony on Friday morning.

Merkel can also be seen in it with numerous heads of state and government who have long been in office, it said.

For example, with French President Jacques Chirac, who died in 2019, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In addition, according to the information, Merkel received a sculpture of the European building from EU Council President Charles Michel as a souvenir.

This has been the headquarters of the European Council and the Council of the EU * since 2017.

Participants of the farewell party initially kept silent about at least one other gift.

Merkel's last EU summit: “Compromise machine” fails to reach another compromise - return possible

At first, the result table of the summit also remained rather meager - despite the presence of the “compromise machine”.

There were conflicting expressions of opinion, for example, on the subject of strengthening the EU's external border in the direction of Belarus *.

The dispute over how to deal with a Polish constitutional court ruling on the primacy of EU or national law * did not find a solution either.

The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had once again defended himself against "blackmail" with corona aid money worth billions, which the EU Commission only wants to release if the rule of law principles are respected. Several countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria, put pressure on Warsaw to reverse the controversial restructuring of the judicial system in Poland *. Another topic on the first day of the summit was the high energy prices. The heads of state and government were also unable to agree on a common approach.

However, it is not entirely certain that the EU summit, which will run until Friday afternoon, will really be the last with Merkel.

Should the schedule of the traffic light coalition negotiations in Berlin get out of hand, the CDU politician could return to Brussels for the next meeting in mid-December.

The traffic light wants to prevent that of course: The goal for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's freestyle is, by definition, “the St. Nicholas week”.

(

dpa / AFP / fn

) *

Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-10-22

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