German Chancellor Angela Merkel, wearily - but clearly relieved - claimed after two sleepless nights of negotiations: 'We have achieved what we set out to do. This shows that Europe came together at the end.' She was celebrating agreement among the 27 member states of the European Union on a new draft treaty.
However, the reality remains that the EU is a patchwork. Someone has to show, and soon, a spark of imagination if 'Europe' is to find its true potential, for the sake of it and the rest of the world.
Dr Merkel deserves praise for her impressive ability in getting the 26 other querulous European heads of government to forge an agreement: it was a personal triumph for her to be the ringmaster of a deal when the learned pundits had been shaking their heads saying that the British, the Dutch, the French and the Poles would never agree. The leaders produced a new outline treaty for the 493 million people who live in the EU.
But the deal may crumble when the leaders take it home and their parliaments pick apart the details.
On paper, the EU would be the third most-populous country in the world (if it were a country). With 4.32 million sq km of land, it would be the seventh-biggest in the world, with a combined gross national product estimated by the International Monetary Fund at almost US$14 trillion last year - the largest in the world. However, there is no European state.
The 'Europe' that the 27 leaders were talking about is still what is left over when national governments have protected and squeezed out their special interests.
