Angela Merkel: A Chancellorship Forged in Crisis

Chapter 11

Proverbs (Where To?)

For a glimpse of Europe’s future, go back to December 2011 and a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels. There, at the traditional post-summit briefing for journalists, Angela Merkel began by hailing a decision to grant Croatia entry to the EU club, saying it “once more shows that the idea of European unity hasn’t lost its draw – in fact, perhaps the opposite.” The accession of a new member “is a signal that every effort for Europe and the euro is worthwhile.” She was speaking on the morning after an all-night meeting of the EU’s 27 leaders which ended in success for Merkel and defeat for Prime Minister David Cameron, who managed only to sideline the U.K. Poland, the biggest of the eastern members, which is accorded ...