Global Affairs

EU's real challenge is not Brexit but the Franco-German tussle

French President Emmanuel Macron's latest proposal on reforms in Europe has drawn a cool response from Germany, highlighting the battle for Europe's future between the two powers

ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
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LONDON • European Union leaders are gathering in Brussels later this week for a summit which will, by necessity, be largely about the vexed question of Britain's departure from the bloc.

Although none of the choices facing them is either attractive or straightforward and the problem of Britain seems likely to overshadow European affairs for many years to come, the EU as a whole has every reason to feel satisfied with the way it handled the British crisis.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 18, 2019, with the headline EU's real challenge is not Brexit but the Franco-German tussle . Subscribe