Financial Times FT.com

Europe needs action, not quiet consensus

By Peter Mandelson

Published: November 23 2009 20:11 | Last updated: November 23 2009 20:11

The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago marked a watershed in European history. It also, in retrospect, marked the beginning of the end of Europe’s unquestioned global influence.

As Asia and Latin America have risen, the proportional influence of even the largest European states has shrunk. As if to make the point, the American president marked the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by going to ... China.

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