German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday issued a warning to Europe, worrying about its ability to meet societal, migration and economic challenges, following her 107e and last summit in Brussels, after 16 years in power.
“I am now leaving this European Union in my responsibility as Chancellor in a situation which worries me”, declared Mrs Merkel. “We have overcome many crises, through respect and efforts to find common solutions, but we have a series of unresolved problems,” she warned.
Regarding the rule of law (independence of the judiciary, freedom of the media, etc.), a subject for which Poland is currently in the crosshairs of the European Union (EU), the Chancellor reiterated her wish for a more appeased, calling for dialogue and more understanding for the history of this former communist country. “We have to respect each other. I think it’s very important, ”she hammered.
In terms of migration, the EU is “always vulnerable from the outside”, she warned, at a time when Belarus is accused of smuggling migrants through its borders, in retaliation for European sanctions.
Lack of innovation
Angela Merkel was also worried about the competitiveness of the Old Continent, in particular in new technologies such as artificial intelligence. “Europe is not the most innovative continent”, she regretted, believing that her successors would have “major projects” to carry out.
As she bows out on the European scene, at 67, the Chancellor has received a shower of tributes. His departure raises the fear of emptiness within the EU, facing decisive projects: post-COVID economic reconstruction, climate change, affirmation of its geopolitical role vis-à-vis the United States and China.
“Your beloved German people and the whole world owe a debt of gratitude for your height of sight for so many years,” praised former US President Barack Obama in a video.
The Twenty-Seven summits “without Angela, it’s like Rome without the Vatican or Paris without the Eiffel Tower,” European Council President Charles Michel said in Brussels.
The former Belgian prime minister praised the “wisdom” of the Chancellor, who will be missed by Europeans “especially in difficult times”, in a speech greeted by a standing ovation from the heads of state and government gathered since Thursday.
A gift, a work in transparency by the young Franco-Dutch designer Maxim Duterre, evoking the Council building that hosts the summits, was given to Mr.me Merkel like her Swedish counterpart, Stefan Löfven, also on the start.
Germany
In recent months, EU leaders have multiplied tributes and thanks to the woman who has ruled Germany since 2005, almost as long as the Chancellor of Reunification, Helmut Kohl (1982-1998).
At the head of the continent’s leading economic power, Angela Merkel had however been widely criticized for the attitude of Berlin during the crisis in the euro zone after the global financial collapse of 2008-2009, but was then widely praised for its response to the migration crisis of 2015 and for rallying in fine to a common debt of the Twenty-Seven.
Germany is expected to have a new chancellor before Christmas. Social Democrats, environmentalists and liberals unveiled on Thursday the timetable for their negotiations aimed at installing Olaf Scholz (SPD) in charge of the country in early December.