Yahoo – AFP,
March 10, 2017
EU leaders pose for a family photo during the European Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on June 28, 2016 (AFP Photo/JOHN THYS) |
Brussels
(AFP) - The EU has ditched the traditional "family photo" of leaders
at Brussels summits as it seeks a more modern image for the bloc, European
sources said.
Until the
end of last year, the 28 European Union leaders gathering for their regular
meetings would pose together for photographers in what was meant to be a show
of unity.
But news
organisations have been told by the European Council, the body that arranges
summits, that as of the latest meeting on Thursday and Friday, the family photo
is no longer taking place.
"Part
of the idea was to have a more modern visual image" than just the leaders
lined up in rows, a senior diplomatic source told AFP on condition of
anonymity.
The
decision was also part of efforts by European Council chief Donald Tusk, who
was re-elected on Thursday, to "streamline" summits that often drag
late into the night, the source said.
"These
photos can actually take quite a lot of time."
EU
institutions were trying to offer photographers more time to take pictures of
leaders as they get down to business in the summit room, the source said.
The
decision comes as the EU is divided on many fronts, with Poland reacting
furiously at this summit after leaders re-elected former Polish premier Tusk as
EU chief despite objections from Warsaw.
Sources
denied it was political at a time when the EU is about to start hosting
official summits with both the full 28 members but also at 27 -- when Britain
is barred from talks on its impending exit from the union.
Family
photos are a tradition at summit meetings of many organisations around the
world, often offering a light-hearted moment before leaders discuss serious
issues.
It can also
be a glimpse into the personal politics and body language behind the political
spin as the leaders gather together in one place.
Famously,
leaders at the APEC Asia-Pacific summit dress up every year in the national
costume of the host country, leading to the sight of US and Russian presidents
wearing colourful outfits from around the region.
The EU's
own photo opportunities have not always worked out in the past, with leaders
being mocked for going on a ride on a huge luxury yacht in Malta in February
during a summit focused on the migration crisis in which thousands of people
have drowned in the Mediterranean.
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