Photo Gallery Europe's Leaders to the Rescue

A two-day summit to save the euro kicked off on Dec. 8 in Brussels, where European Union leaders gathered to hammer out a plan. They managed to come up with an agreement, but not everybody was on board.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived with a smile at an informal dinner and gathering of European leaders ahead of the crucial two-day euro rescue summit on Dec. 8.

Foto: GEORGES GOBET/ AFP
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived at the Brussels summit. Before the meeting began Thursday, Merkel and Sarkozy met with fellow European conservatives at the European People's Party conference (EPP) in Marseille to drum up support for their rescue plan.

Foto: SEBASTIEN PIRLET/ REUTERS
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The allied French and German leaders have been dubbed "Merkozy" by the media. They had hoped to amend the European Union treaties with the support of all 27 EU member states, and to impose stricter budgetary discipline on countries in a bid to bring the crisis under control. Here, Sarkozy and Merkel head to the working dinner on Thursday evening.

Foto: AP/ Bundesregierung
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But Germany and France failed to get unanimous support after Britain opposed the plans. British Prime Minister David Cameron justified his opposition to amending the EU treaties as a "tough but good" decision. "Where we can't be given safeguards, it is better to be on the outside," he said after the talks.

Foto: Michel Euler/ AP
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But International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde, shown here arriving at the summit, seemed optimistic after talks on Thursday night. "We can be very pleased at the result," she reportedly said when leaving. Under the pact, EU countries will provide up to 200 billion euros in bilateral loans to the IMF to help battle the crisis.

Foto: Virginia Mayo/ AP
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"It was not possible to get unanimity," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said after talks on Thursday, adding that it was the "proper decision" to proceed with a new pact despite resistance from Britain and Hungary.

Foto: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/ AP
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An intergovernmental treaty between the 17 euro-zone countries and six other EU countries could be put into action more quickly than an amendment to the EU treaties, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said. A swift reaction was needed to increase credibility, and the EU treaties could be revised later, he said.

Foto: STRINGER/BELGIUM/ REUTERS
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New Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti also attended the talks in Brussels.

Foto: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/ AP
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Swarms of journalists, seen here working in the main media hall, also attended the make-or-break summit.

Foto: YVES HERMAN/ REUTERS
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Here, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi is seen leaving the summit after lengthy talks. Just ahead of the event, the ECB had resisted calls to buy up more government bonds to ease the crisis, though it did decide to cut its benchmark interest rate to one percent.

Foto: REUTERS
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European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (left) and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy held a joint news conference after the night of negotiations on Thursday.

Foto: STRINGER/BELGIUM/ REUTERS
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The main focus of the summit may have been saving the euro, but also on the agenda was Croatia's accession treaty to join the EU in 2013. Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, seen here arriving at the event, signed the treaty along with other leaders. Croatia will be the EU's 28th member country.

Foto: JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/ AFP
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Talks, along with massive media coverage, began again on Friday morning. German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced cameras once again. Her plan for amending EU treaties faces legal challenges.

Foto: JOHN THYS/ AFP