Critics of Germany's actions in the eurozone debt and banking crisis often berate Angela Merkel, the Christian Democrat chancellor, for lacking a "vision" for Europe. Not me. I am with Helmut Schmidt, West Germany's plain-spoken Social Democrat chancellor from 1974 to 1982, who once said that people who have visions should go and see a doctor. What is the view of Mario Monti, the distinguished former European Union commissioner, who worked closely with Merkel during his 17-month spell as Italy's prime minister from November 2011 until last April? Monti now chairs a committee on promoting a united Europe at the Berggruen Institute on Governance, a non-partisan think-tank headquartered in California. I contacted him earlier this week in Milan, and as usual his thoughts were perceptive and full of common sense (and quite long sentences). Read more | 
