German Chancellor Angela Merkel is by far the current European leader who has held power the longest. It has helped the European Union to get through the migration crisis, but also those of the euro and the Covid-19. But what is its record at the European level? We discussed the subject with another European official who has been in office for a long time: the former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
Efi Koutsokosta, euronews:
“Can you share with us some of your memories of those years when you worked together ?”
Jean-Claude Juncker, former President of the European Commission:
“She’s someone with a lot of humor. Although she is known in Germany to be a down-to-earth and serious personality, in reality, she imitated her colleagues all the time, including me. she never imitated me in front of me. She imitated perfectly, Sarkozy, Trump and others. She was a real artist in her imitations. “
“I had major arguments with Angela Merkel”
Efi Koutsokosta:
“But do you remember any altercations you may have had with her during all these crises?”
Jean-Claude Juncker:
“I had altercations with her … Maybe not” altercations “, but major arguments, mainly over Greece because the Germans, her own parliamentary group and the German press did not respect the dignity of the country. Greek people. So I explained to them that Greece was different from what she thought of it. “
Efi Koutsokosta:
“Would you say you convinced her?”
Jean-Claude Juncker:
“No, I tried to do it. I succeeded with the help of other people, in particular of the French President of the time François Hollande, but also thanks to the German Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schäuble who was a friend to me and elsewhere, a very pro-European man. He wanted to exclude Greece from the eurozone temporarily. I was fiercely opposed to this idea. Angela Merkel never rallied to it either, but she never denied the value of this idea. In the end, she always reasoned with a longer-term perspective. She thought it could get us into troubled waters with Italy and others. “
“Its biggest failure is the reluctance it showed during the Greek crisis”
Efi Koutsokosta:
“What do you think was his biggest accomplishment and his biggest failure?”
Jean-Claude Juncker:
“I believe her biggest failure was her reluctance during the Greek crisis because because of her hesitation and reluctance we wasted time. Greece could have been helped sooner.”
“Her greatest achievement is the role she played in the refugee crisis”
Efi Koutsokosta:
“Outside of Greece, in general, what has been his biggest achievement? The most important aspect in his European record?”
Jean-Claude Juncker:
“Her greatest achievement, from my point of view, was the role she played in the refugee crisis in August-September 2015. She was against the idea of closing the German border between the Austrian Tyrol and Bavaria. Because again, she had a certain perspective in her approach to this major crisis. She told me on the phone in August-September 2015 – and we spoke to each other very often during all these years -: “What would be the image of the European Union and of Germany abroad if we closed the borders? , what if we put soldiers and police on the border with Austria to push these poor people away? ” Many of them came from Syria, others came from Afghanistan, everywhere. They were poor, desperate people. And she was doing this against the advice of a majority of German public opinion and her own CDU parliamentary group. A leader is someone who can say “no” to their own side. “
Efi Koutsokosta:
“So she’s a leader from that point of view.”
Jean-Claude Juncker:
“Yes, indeed. You ask me what is Angela Merkel’s record in Europe. Well, she definitely anchored Germany in Europe, she made it clear to German voters that Europe was part of the reason for German state. This is its greatest achievement because after it it will be impossible to have chancellors who are not pro-European. “
“Angela Merkel listened to all countries, big and small”
Efi Koutsokosta:
“Can Germany keep its leadership in Europe after Angela Merkel?”
Jean-Claude Juncker:
“There is no German leadership in Europe. It is a point of view on Germany that the Greeks and others may have, but the European Union was never a group of countries led by Germany. This is a misconception. Of course, Germany plays a major role: it is the largest country, the strongest economy, the country with the largest number of European neighbors. Germany must play its role by being at the heart of the continent. It is also very close to Central and Eastern Europe. So she has a role to play regardless of who holds the office of chancellor. Angela Merkel played this role very carefully; I would say, in a clever and intelligent way because she listened to all countries whether they were big, medium or small. When I was Prime Minister [ndlr : du Luxembourg] and she, chancellor, I never had the feeling that she treated me with negligence. No no no. She made me feel as important as the President of the United States. “
“The EU is not adapting to the world of the future”
Efi Koutsokosta:
“More generally, what will Europe look like in your opinion in the years to come when the international context is changing?”
Jean-Claude Juncker:
“The international context is changing, but the European Union is not evolving enough. We are not adapting to the world of the future. We are doing it by looking only at the horizon 2030, 2040. And I think the the Union’s international role must grow in importance, in particular with regard to the international role of the euro, our common currency. We must not be too modest, but we should try not to preach either. to the whole world. Europe has this flaw of – when we are in Africa or Asia – telling others what to do. They don’t like it. Europe’s role is not to lecture, but to set an example. “
Efi Koutsokosta:
“Do we have charismatic leaders to take the helm?”
Jean-Claude Juncker:
“This remains to be proven.”
Reference-feedproxy.google.com