Journal # Angela Merkel heads to Brussels today for a crucial summit on the future of the European Union # 29.10.2009 08 UTC

German Chancellor Angela Merkel heads to Brussels today for a crucial summit on the future of the European Union, just 24 hours after being sworn in for her second term as German leader. After the first session of her new cabinet last night, Merkel flew to Paris, where she met with French President Nicholas Sarkozy for a pre-summit meeting. After the talks, Sarkozy said he and Merkel were in "almost total agreement" on the key issues on the agenda for the EU summit.