Women keep Europe going: Forbes magazine

According to Forbes magazine, three smart women leaders in their 60s are leading Europe to a greener, more democratic future. It took 90 hours of negotiations to corral 27 leaders of member states, a couple of populist strongmen and a few frugal recalcitrants into putting their collective money where their mouths were to help Europe emerge whole from the Covid-19 crisis. These remarkable women have worked together a long, long time and have finely honed their diplomatic talents over decades of leadership. Angela Merkel is Germany’s Chancellor, Ursula von der Leyen is President of the European Commission, and Christine Lagarde heads the European Central Bank. Together, they pack a powerful punch.

Their leadership skills probably played a big hand in getting this motley crowd to cough up the 750 billion euro fund for the European family to help each other through a tight time. The ‘historic moment’ being touted means that a fractious, rebellious family retreat was able to come together around some basic democratic principles and a budget aimed at a greener future. And that, as a group, the European Commission can now collectively raise billions of euros on capital markets, what Reuters calls an “unprecedented act of solidarity in almost seven decades of European integration.”

(Forbes)