Something essential about European Union politics is captured in a funny piece of video that aired on French TV last night. It shows the setting up of the group photo of the 25 leaders at their Finland summit, along with Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the Commission, and star guest, Vladimir Putin, fresh off a live microphone fiasco with the Israeli PM. Anyway, as the sequence unfolds, one can see that Jacques Chirac was unhappy with his position on back steps, and far away from Putin. So he muscles his way to front into what was Barroso's position, who then has to step behind him to an obstructed position. Putin looks slightly puzzled by all the shuffling, but Chirac made his point.
To watch the video, go here to the pull down menu for previous editions, and select Edition du vendredi 20 octobre 2006; the segment is linked as Le sommet UE-Russie en Finlande 20h11m33s.
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