Across the globe, optimism about the future of the European Union is in very short supply.

Some political analysts argue that Europe is collapsing because it cannot overcome the three main problems facing this respectable institution, namely the Greek debt, the Ukrainian conflict and the refugee crisis.

These obstacles, argue various analysts, are eroding the European project.

However, the response to these doom and gloom critics, largely coordinated by the one and only Angela Merkel, has been equally impressive. Last week, she was quoted as saying these exact words: “Not only can Europe overcome its current challenges but the storm is actually making our vision stronger and healthier.”

The German Chancellor deserves the admiration of the whole world for her astonishingly efficient work in the EU. She has become the power centre of Europe. Instead of Brussels, Berlin should become the power base of Europe.

Despite the repeated predictions of critics, Merkel and Europe are not falling apart. On the contrary, no country wants to leave the EU (with the exception, perhaps, of Britain), and Union membership remains the dream of countries along its periphery.