October 23, 2011
The government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has given parliament a greater say in the euro bailout than it has actually been required to do following a recent ruling by the country's highest court. Merkel took the step to quiet critics of the common currency rescue plan, but it could also limit the European Union's ability to act in this time of crisis.
The Alte Oper concert hall in Frankfurt has seen many a great performance. But rarely has there been such a sharp divide between the harmony being portrayed on the stage and the drama taking place behind the scenes than there was last Wednesday.
Europe's leaders had only just presented themselves to their guests as a picture of unity, amid speeches praising the outgoing president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Jean-Claude Trichet, before the sparks began flying in another part of the building. Unfortunately, the German chancellor told a group of stunned men, she would not be able to make a decision on the euro bailout fund at the European Union summit on the following Sunday, because she needed the approval of the German parliament, the Bundestag, first. But because this approval was not to be expected, Chancellor Angela Merkel, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), proposed postponing the meeting of the 27 heads of state and government.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy protested, saying a postponement was absolutely out of the question, if only out of consideration for the other member states. "This is the last exit on the highway," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said excitedly. "If we don't reach a decision now, we're dead."
But it was of no use. By the end of last week, it was clear that the decisions would be postponed. Grudgingly, the majority of the EU was forced to follow the Germans' lead.
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