European leaders give Angela Merkel a standing ovation at her latest summit

European leaders gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel a standing ovation this Friday at the start of the summit in Brussels, which will be her 107th and last, after sixteen years in power, “informed sources close to her.

“I hope you are not bothered by this ceremony at your last summit,” said Charles Michel, President of the Council. The Twenty-seven meetings “without Angela (Merkel) are like Rome without the Vatican or Paris without the Eiffel Tower,” continued the community dignitary.

“Your farewell to the European scene affects us politically, but it also fills us with emotion. You are a monument ”, declared Charles Michel, highlighting“ the wisdom ”of the Chancellor, which Europeans will miss“ especially in difficult times ”.

Heads of State and Government had previously praised the spirit of compromise of German politics on her march, such as the Austrian Alexander Schallenberg who described her as a “peacemaker in the EU” or the Luxembourgish Xavier Bettel for whom she was “a machine of commitment ”.

For this latest summit, in which Poland monopolizes all the talks for its violations of the rule of law, Merkel once again made her mark by advocating for dialogue with Warsaw.

The European dignitaries presented the Chancellor with a gift representing the building where the European summits are held.

During his speech, Michel also paid tribute to Swede Stefan Löfven, who will step down from his post as Prime Minister in November, which he has held since 2014.

“You marked our meetings with your strong and reassuring presence,” Michel told Löfven, also thanking him for his commitment to “social progress”, according to the same source. (I)