Merkel receives standing ovation at last EU summit
Brussels, Oct 22 (EFE).- European leaders on Thursday gave a standing ovation to acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel at what is likely to be her last European Union summit in Brussels.
Merkel, a leading EU figure, has attended a total of 107 summits in 16 years.
She has been involved in tackling some of the EU’s biggest challenges, including the 2008 financial crisis, the 2015 migrant crisis and Covid-19 pandemic.
An EU summit “without Angela is like Rome without the Vatican or Paris without the Eiffel tower,” chief of the European Council and host of the summit, Charles Michel, said.
“You are a monument,” he added.
The prime minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel said Merkel’s departure will leave a hole in Europe and called the Chancellor a “compromise machine” who always found ways to unite European leaders.
On the same note, Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Merkel was a “haven of peace” for Europe while Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said she will have left her mark in Europe.
Thursday’s summit is likely to be Merkel’s last if the German Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals reach an agreement to form a government before mid-December, when the next summit is scheduled to take place in Brussels. EFE
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