‘Long reigns often leave long shadows’: Europeans on Angela Merkel

People across Europe share their views on her leadership in Germany and the role she has played in the European Union

Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, sits next to Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as she attends part in a Grand Tattoo ceremony to mark the farewell of her chancellorship in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021.Picture: AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

After 16 years in office, Angela Merkel is stepping down on Thursday as chancellor of Germany. 

The former UK prime minister Tony Blair said she had “often defined modern Germany” and Romano Prodi, Italian prime minister between 2006 and 2008, said a new European strategy and the next-generation EU would be part of the “great legacy” she leaves.