Merkel stands alone

“Europe rebels against Merkel,” headlines Financial Times Deutschland. On 25 October, a meeting of EU foreign ministers rejected the Franco-German agreement for sanctions against countries which the daily dubs “deficit sinners.” And the business daily warns that at the EU leaders summit scheduled for 28 October, the chancellor “will likely face even more severe punishment,” because her proposal to suspend heavily indebted countries’ voting rights may not even be discussed. She “has succeeded in turning a majority of EU member states, her national coalition partner and German public opinion against her,” notes FT Deutschland.