EU leaders give Merkel big send-off

German chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and French president Emmanuel Macron, at the EU summit in Brussels (John Thys, Pool Photo via AP)

European leaders gave Germany’s outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel a big farewell party at Friday’s EU summit, with former US president Barack Obama making a cameo video appearance.

Attending her 107th summit, Mrs Merkel was feted by friends and foes alike in an informal ceremony behind closed doors, where she was called everything from a “compromise machine” to the EU’s Eiffel Tower.