If Merkel had wanted the agreement reached in Brussels, the outcome would have marked the beginning of a fundamental revision of the eurozone’s crisis policy – and thus an expression of successful statesmanship. Instead, it is a full-blown defeat for Germany, linked to its firm denial that German policy has sharply reduced the country’s influence in the EU.
如果默克尔本就希望在布鲁塞尔达成协议，那么结果将标志着欧元区危机政策的基本转变，其本人也将展现成功政治家的风采。但最终结果是布鲁塞尔峰会成了一次对德国的大胜，坚决否决德国政策极大地削弱了后者在欧盟的影响力。显然如此：德国在欧洲央行的影响力已然极大地减弱了；德国财政部长不再是欧元集团首脑；而现在，我们有迎来了布鲁塞尔灾难！