This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/world/europe/european-union-summit-brexit.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Continental Divides: How E.U. Leaders Project Their Power | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| BRUSSELS — How do you like your leaders? Dashing? Fired up? Sober and controlled? At European Union summit meetings, 28 leaders project competing versions of what it means to be in charge as the bloc falters. Some examples of the stagecraft that will be on display at the next summit talks, beginning Thursday: | BRUSSELS — How do you like your leaders? Dashing? Fired up? Sober and controlled? At European Union summit meetings, 28 leaders project competing versions of what it means to be in charge as the bloc falters. Some examples of the stagecraft that will be on display at the next summit talks, beginning Thursday: |
| Ms. Merkel projects a managerial efficiency at summit meetings with a style that borders on flavorless. She enters briefings rapidly, steps purposefully onto a dais, and settles into a modern, high-backed office chair. Behind her is a giant map of Europe dotted with yellow stars representing the bloc’s 28 capital cities, and underscoring Germany’s decades-long mission to further integration. There is a hush as journalists parse the words of the leader of the group’s most powerful country. The atmosphere can occasionally turn reverent, as when a journalist serenaded Ms. Merkel for her 60th birthday. But her power at home is now being challenged over her policy on migration, potentially complicating her role as Europe’s de facto leader. | Ms. Merkel projects a managerial efficiency at summit meetings with a style that borders on flavorless. She enters briefings rapidly, steps purposefully onto a dais, and settles into a modern, high-backed office chair. Behind her is a giant map of Europe dotted with yellow stars representing the bloc’s 28 capital cities, and underscoring Germany’s decades-long mission to further integration. There is a hush as journalists parse the words of the leader of the group’s most powerful country. The atmosphere can occasionally turn reverent, as when a journalist serenaded Ms. Merkel for her 60th birthday. But her power at home is now being challenged over her policy on migration, potentially complicating her role as Europe’s de facto leader. |
| Mr. Bettel has generated outsized publicity for himself and his tiny country by turning up in a variety of fashionable scarves. The habit has even prompted a parody Twitter account, @Luxscarf (description: keeping the prime ministerial neck warm in style). Mr. Bettel has done little to dampen the interest, good-naturedly posting pictures of his neckwear. He rarely makes forceful comments at European Union summit meetings, but his eye for style, and the fact that he is openly gay and married to his partner, could help raise the profile of Luxembourg, long considered a stodgy tax haven. | Mr. Bettel has generated outsized publicity for himself and his tiny country by turning up in a variety of fashionable scarves. The habit has even prompted a parody Twitter account, @Luxscarf (description: keeping the prime ministerial neck warm in style). Mr. Bettel has done little to dampen the interest, good-naturedly posting pictures of his neckwear. He rarely makes forceful comments at European Union summit meetings, but his eye for style, and the fact that he is openly gay and married to his partner, could help raise the profile of Luxembourg, long considered a stodgy tax haven. |
| Mr. Fico’s briefings include a backdrop with an image of his country that seems several sizes larger than its neighbors. During news conferences, he often responds in Slovak to questions posed in English — even though he speaks English well. Such gestures serve the nationalist streak he is known for, though it has lessened since his country took over the rotating presidency of the European Union council in July. | Mr. Fico’s briefings include a backdrop with an image of his country that seems several sizes larger than its neighbors. During news conferences, he often responds in Slovak to questions posed in English — even though he speaks English well. Such gestures serve the nationalist streak he is known for, though it has lessened since his country took over the rotating presidency of the European Union council in July. |
| Lest you forget that France is a military power, Mr. Hollande is shadowed at briefings by a uniformed aide-de-camp who carries the codes for the country’s nuclear arsenal. To the left of the presidential podium is a plaque displaying an ax and shield — le faisceau de licteur — another reminder of the republic’s martial tradition and its current deployments. Mr. Hollande’s political security, however, appears less well-protected: He is heading into a presidential election badly weakened at home and at risk of being voted out of office next spring. | Lest you forget that France is a military power, Mr. Hollande is shadowed at briefings by a uniformed aide-de-camp who carries the codes for the country’s nuclear arsenal. To the left of the presidential podium is a plaque displaying an ax and shield — le faisceau de licteur — another reminder of the republic’s martial tradition and its current deployments. Mr. Hollande’s political security, however, appears less well-protected: He is heading into a presidential election badly weakened at home and at risk of being voted out of office next spring. |
| Mr. Tsipras is the only male leader at summit meetings without a necktie. The choice is widely seen as a way of maintaining his anti-establishment credentials with restive Greek voters. His communications are calculated, too. Although he is among the European Union leaders most frequently in the spotlight, Mr. Tsipras is among those who give the fewest briefings. He prefers to make precooked statements in both Greek and English at the start and finish of meetings, then turn on his heels and head for the exit. | Mr. Tsipras is the only male leader at summit meetings without a necktie. The choice is widely seen as a way of maintaining his anti-establishment credentials with restive Greek voters. His communications are calculated, too. Although he is among the European Union leaders most frequently in the spotlight, Mr. Tsipras is among those who give the fewest briefings. He prefers to make precooked statements in both Greek and English at the start and finish of meetings, then turn on his heels and head for the exit. |
| Mr. Renzi, who will arrive at this week’s summit meeting fresh off his state dinner with President Obama, warms to his themes with expressive arm movements. To reinforce a point or hammer home a grievance, he may twist his torso into a baroque pose. The showmanship suddenly halts when he drops his eyes and shoulders to check his phone. Mr. Renzi is also famously active on social media. Many Italians have tired of his swagger amid doubt over his policies, but his reformist zeal has helped make him more successful than many of his predecessors at putting Italian perspectives on the European agenda. | Mr. Renzi, who will arrive at this week’s summit meeting fresh off his state dinner with President Obama, warms to his themes with expressive arm movements. To reinforce a point or hammer home a grievance, he may twist his torso into a baroque pose. The showmanship suddenly halts when he drops his eyes and shoulders to check his phone. Mr. Renzi is also famously active on social media. Many Italians have tired of his swagger amid doubt over his policies, but his reformist zeal has helped make him more successful than many of his predecessors at putting Italian perspectives on the European agenda. |
| Ms. Grybauskaite has a black belt in American karate, and she gives short, punchy responses in English — both on camera and on Twitter. That has made her the go-to leader for candid comments about the existential challenges facing the bloc. Two years ago, she declared, “Practically Russia is in a state of war against Europe.” Her quips after the Brexit vote and leadership upheaval in Britain included, “We all need to wake up and smell the coffee” and “When life gives lemons, no choice but to make lemonade.” | Ms. Grybauskaite has a black belt in American karate, and she gives short, punchy responses in English — both on camera and on Twitter. That has made her the go-to leader for candid comments about the existential challenges facing the bloc. Two years ago, she declared, “Practically Russia is in a state of war against Europe.” Her quips after the Brexit vote and leadership upheaval in Britain included, “We all need to wake up and smell the coffee” and “When life gives lemons, no choice but to make lemonade.” |
| While Union Jacks flanked David Cameron at briefings in Brussels, the European Union flag was barely visible — a sign of how reluctant British leaders have been to promote the group. Mr. Cameron’s unflashy successor, Theresa May, will make her summit debut on Thursday; Mr. Cameron stepped down after his country voted to leave the bloc in June. She is expected to say that the union can thrive without Britain, partly as a tactic to lay groundwork for a favorable departure package. Whether such an overture will include making the European Union flag more prominent remains to be seen. | While Union Jacks flanked David Cameron at briefings in Brussels, the European Union flag was barely visible — a sign of how reluctant British leaders have been to promote the group. Mr. Cameron’s unflashy successor, Theresa May, will make her summit debut on Thursday; Mr. Cameron stepped down after his country voted to leave the bloc in June. She is expected to say that the union can thrive without Britain, partly as a tactic to lay groundwork for a favorable departure package. Whether such an overture will include making the European Union flag more prominent remains to be seen. |