Merkel bids farewell to Europe with one last warning

m . stated^I Merkel. “We have overcome many crises, through respect and efforts to find common solutions, but we have a series of unresolved problems,” she warned.

On the rule of law (independence of the judiciary, freedom of the media, etc.), a topic that Poland is currently in the focus of the European Union, the chancellor reiterated her desire for a more peaceful debate, and called for dialogue and more understanding. for the history of this former communist country. “We have to respect each other. I think it is very important.”

It warned that on immigration, the EU is “always weak from the outside”, while accusing Belarus of smuggling migrants across its borders, in response to European sanctions.

lack of innovation

Angela Merkel was also concerned about the competitiveness of the old continent, particularly in new technologies such as artificial intelligence. She lamented that “Europe is not the most innovative continent”, believing that her successors would have “big projects” to undertake.

As she bowed to the European stage, at 67, the chancellor received a hail of appreciation. His departure raises the fear of a vacuum within the European Union, in the face of critical projects: economic reconstruction after COVID-19, climate change, and the assertion of its geopolitical role in confronting the United States and China.

“Your beloved German people and the whole world owe a long-sighted debt of gratitude for many years,” former US President Barack Obama praised in a video clip.

European Council President Charles Michel said in Brussels that the 27 summits “without Angela are like Rome without the Vatican or Paris without the Eiffel Tower”.

The former Belgian prime minister praised the “wisdom” of the chancellor, which the Europeans will miss “especially in difficult times”, in a speech that was received with a standing ovation by the heads of state and government gathered since Thursday.

A gift, a work in transparency by the young French-Dutch designer Maxime Duterte, inspired by the council building that hosts the peaks, was handed over to the master.^I Merkel, like her Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven, is also at the start.

The new Austrian chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, declared that the departure of Angela Merkel “will leave a great void”, stressing his “significant impact on the development of the European Union”.

“He is someone who has left a real mark on Europe for 16 years, helping us make the right decisions with so much humanity in times that were difficult,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croo.

leveling machine

“She was a leveling machine, when things weren’t going well, we still had Angela […] She has always found something that unites us and allows us to move forward,” said Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who has worked with her for eight years.

“I will miss her. Europe will miss her.”

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, former defense minister to the Christian Democratic Chancellor (CDU), recently emphasized how this doctor of chemistry’s analytical spirit has been crucial to unraveling the sometimes endless European negotiations.

In recent months, EU leaders have redoubled their appreciation and thanks to the woman who has ruled Germany since 2005, almost for the entirety of the reunification chancellor, Helmut Kohl (1982-1998).

At the helm of the continent’s leading economic power, Angela Merkel was widely criticized for Berlin’s stance during the eurozone crisis in the wake of the 2008-2009 global financial meltdown, but was then widely praised for her response to the 2015 migration crisis and for the impulse Eventually to the joint debt of the twenty-seven.

Germany is expected to have a new chancellor before Christmas. Social Democrats, environmentalists and liberals Thursday unveiled the timetable for their negotiations aimed at putting Olaf Schulz (the Social Democratic Party) in charge of the country in early December.