Merkel, Mitsotakis and the day after

Whether one agrees with its policies or not, Germany is the European Union's economic engine. France also plays an important role, but no one disputes Berlin's primacy. Chancellor Angela Merkel is the oldest-serving and most stable leader of the western world. She has been tested in a wide range of challenges - from managing the Greek crisis to migration - and has insisted on doing what she considers right, often at a steep political cost.

Greeks view her with awe; some with anger and others even with hatred. Her relationship with other leaders is based on the principle of credibility. This is also true in her relations with the Greek prime ministers with whom she has cooperated over the years. Some disappointed her, others surprised her.

Everyone knows that the chancellor expects her interlocutors to honor their commitments. As far as policies are concerned, promises...