Franco-German euro agenda-setting irks partners in Brussels

On his website, European Union President Herman Van Rompuy says it is his job to "convene" special meetings of the bloc's leaders. But this week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel took on that role for themselves, indicating that a second meeting of euro area leaders - on top of the one scheduled for Sunday - should take place "not later than Wednesday."
That did not go unnoticed in Brussels, where officials from EU institutions and national diplomats have been grumbling for months about Paris and Berlin's habit of dictating the agenda of the 27-member EU and the 17-member eurozone. Luxembourg Premier Jean-Claude Juncker did not mince words as he arrived for a special meeting of the Eurogroup panel of eurozone finance ministers, which he chairs.
"The effect is disastrous," Juncker said of the split summit. "I would have preferred us not needing two attempts." "It is not enough for Germany and France to agree," he added. A senior EU diplomat also told reporters he wished there would have been "more respect" shown for EU institutions. In an unusual outburst, he complained that Franco-German behaviour was "going beyond the bounds of decency."
The outraged diplomat suggested that the bloc was effectively dancing to a tune set by Germany - with France relegated to the role of sparring partner. "Our decision-making depends on the timing and rhythm set by one country," the source said, referring to Germany. "It is a completely unbalanced set-up." He suggested that Germany forced a second eurozone summit to suit Merkel's parliamentary schedule - she needs to win endorsement from a key committee before agreeing to boosting the firepower of the eurozone's bailout funds.
"Our problem now is to see what Merkel will allow us to say on Sunday, and what she will keep in her pocket to present it to the Bundestag before we can finally agree to it when we meet again on Wednesday," he lamented. Noting that German-influenced EU indecisiveness on the eurozone crisis has rattled investors, the source quipped, "Let's hope that what we come up with on Sunday will be enough to avoid us being slaughtered by the markets on Monday."
Another senior EU official was more restrained, arguing that if the eurozone's major players needed three extra days to reach a decision, so be it. But even government ministers have expressed irritation. Last week, speaking in the wake of another Merkel-Sarkozy meeting, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini complained that "a global situation cannot be solved by a bilateral axis."
Over the two-year long eurozone crisis, France and Germany's leaders have almost institutionalised their practice of precooking decisions meant to be taken by the entire eurozone and EU summits. In one famous example that created much resentment in October last year, they insisted that an EU treaty change was needed to enforce greater eurozone budget discipline - and forced reluctant partners to back the proposal at a summit 10 days later.