EU leaders converge on Rome to rekindle sense of unity
ROME (AP) — Posing with Pope Francis before Michelangelo's masterpiece "The Last Judgment" at the Vatican, European Union leaders started their weekend pilgrimage in Rome hoping that a visit to the cradle of their unity project could somehow rekindle the vigor of the bloc's youth.
More and more, it looks like the EU's future will have less unanimity and more areas where groups of EU nations advance on their own when faced with resistance from others on specific issues, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of founding EU nation Luxembourg told The Associated Press.
The bloc has proven in the past to be less than unified in decision-making on issues such as the single euro currency or the Schengen zone of unfettered travel, but it always left a taste of being less than ideal.
[...] we had country after country, because we saw that certain ones tried to take us hostage, he said, referring to the Polish government, which sought to sabotage the last summit two weeks ago by refusing to approve conclusions because the 27 other EU nations appointed Donald Tusk, a local political rival, for another term as EU president.
With Britain not showing up this weekend in Rome, leaders will be looking at France, a major EU power, with concern.
Since French President Francois Hollande is leaving in May, there's the specter of a possible presidential election victory by far-right leader Marine Le Pen, another anti-EU populist.