“Angela Merkel leaves the European scene on two diplomatic failures. Tellingly, they concern China and Russia ”

Tout was so simple before. In the early 1990s, when Helmut Kohl and François Mitterrand had an idea for Europe, it was enough for the German Chancellor and the French President to agree, then send a letter with their proposal to the President of the European Council. begging him to “Kindly convey this message to the other members of the European Council” … And the trick was played. This was the case, for example, with the letter sent by the two leaders on October 27, 1993, on the eve of an extraordinary European summit on the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty.

Everything was so simple! The Member States were then only twelve. Since then, their number has more than doubled. But it is above all the heterogeneity of this community that has upset the little habits of the Franco-German tandem: Angela Merkel learned it the hard way after several hours of tense debates on Hungary and Russia, in during a memorable European Council, Thursday 24 and Friday 25 June.

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Blaming the blow on Friday after having suffered a stinging failure on her proposal to organize a summit of the Twenty-Seven with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the German Chancellor even said “Saddened” through experience. This shows, she said, that member states “Do not trust each other enough”. A rare comment, lucid and heavy with meaning.

Unusual precipitation

It was the Chancellor’s last European summit before the German federal elections on September 26, which will mark her retirement from politics after 16 years in power. We can understand her disappointment: she left the European scene on two diplomatic failures. Tellingly, they relate to China and Russia. Either way, she wanted to rush – an unusual trait with her.

On China, Angela Merkel took advantage of the impetus given to her by the German presidency of the European Union (EU) until December 31, 2020 to force the conclusion of a comprehensive investment agreement between the EU and China, sealed on December 30 following a videoconference summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Much contested by the European Parliament, this agreement is stillborn today due to the deterioration of relations with Beijing.

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The Russian episode is undoubtedly more cruel because it touches the heart of post-Cold War Europe and Angela Merkel’s world.

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