GETTING TO KNOW YOU: The first order of business at European Union summits isn’t the continent’s financial crisis. It’s getting to know the people around the table. The group of leaders who will meet this week in Brussels is a much different crew from the one that met in October 2009, when the crisis in Europe first erupted.
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SOME EXAMPLES: The colorful Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has been replaced by the technocratic Mario Monti. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been replaced by the more sedate Francois Hollande. Britain’s Gordon Brown has given way to David Cameron.
THE CONSEQUENCES: The revolving door of European leaders raises the question of how Europe can implement bold and swift decisions when it’s not even clear who’ll be in charge a few months from now.
