“It wasn’t easy. But what matters, to my mind, is the fact that we pulled together in the end and that we all firmly believe that we will also genuinely make a difference with the decisions we have reached today”, Chancellor Angela Merkel declared at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after the conclusions of the European Council had been adopted. Chancellor Merkel emphasised that, since the Franco-German initiative of 18 May, Europe had been treading an important path and had shown that it is prepared to take new approaches in a quite unique situation.