Ocotber 24, 2011
In Brussels this weekend, one of the few light moments came when Angela Merkel gave Nicolas Sarkozy a teddy bear for his newborn daughter. So far, concrete results have been scant at the summit despite efforts by European Union leaders to paint a rosier picture. Considerable hurdles must be cleared in order to reach a deal by Wednesday.
At least one participant said what he meant at the beginning of the marathon of European Union summit meetings. The inability of European leaders to come up with a unified response to the euro-zone currency crisis, Euro Group head Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday, has given the region a "disastrous" image.
It was a statement which quickly became the most quoted comment of the entire weekend. After all, it is a concise description of how most observers see the ongoing negotiations in Brussels.
By the time it is finished, this summit will have stretched over six days, a record even for the EU. From Friday afternoon until Wednesday evening, there is an unremitting series of meetings: First the euro-zone finance ministers are meeting, then the EU finance ministers, then the euro-zone ministers again, then the EU foreign ministers. After that comes a mixed group including finance ministers, heads of government and leaders of international organizations. Then a face-to-face between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Then all the EU heads of government together before just the euro-zone leaders meet. It is a dizzying list of gatherings that won't end until the middle of the week.
No decisions, however, are to be announced until mid-week. "It is important to me to say one more time: Today we are preparing the decisions for Wednesday," said Merkel on Sunday. "That is important, because the issues involve very complicated processes."
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