German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble had a plan to push
Greece out of the euro zone. Chancellor Merkel wasn't sure what to do
about it. The result is widespread resentment of Germany and a damaged
Franco-German relationship. By SPIEGEL Staff
There are days when Wolfgang Schäuble's staff would prefer to be somewhere else. In Timbuktu perhaps, or up on the Acropolis. In any case, far, far away.
Last Thursday, the German finance minister rolled into an elevator in
the Reichstag in Berlin. He was irritated, for he soon had to appear
before the Affairs of the European Union Committee to defend a bailout
plan for Greece that he didn't even believe in. "Grottenfalsch," as he
would say -- "dreadfully wrong."
There are days when Wolfgang Schäuble's staff would prefer to be somewhere else. In Timbuktu perhaps, or up on the Acropolis. In any case, far, far away.