'A great European': warm send-off for Merkel after 107 EU summits

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the second day of the EU leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium, October 22, 2021. Olivier Hoslet/Pool/via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European leaders paid warm tributes to Angela Merkel on Friday as they wound up an EU summit, her 107th as Germany's chancellor over nearly 16 years and probably her last, with one hailing her as a "haven of calm" in the maelstrom of EU diplomacy.

Before the leaders of the 27 European Union countries got down to business, they watched a two-minute video of her summit highlights and she was presented with a farewell gift representing the Europa building where summits are held.