Angela Merkel met European leaders in Berlin yesterday to discuss how to tackle chronic youth unemployment, in a summit that critics are calling a pre-election public relations exercise.

Unemployment in the eurozone is at a record high of over 12 per cent and there are fears of a “lost generation” in Spain and Greece, where more than half the under-25s are out of work.

Many blame Merkel. She has spent most of the eurozone crisis insisting over-indebted states cut public spending. Now, just ahead of her re-election bid in September, Merkel is trying to rebrand herself as saviour of Europe’s jobless as well as its public finances.

“A nice summit in Berlin with so many people coming – and with many of them probably applauding Germany for its readiness now to combat youth unemployment – is nice for Merkel, two and a half months before the election,” said economist Holger Schmieding.

More than 20 EU leaders, from conservatives who see eye-to-eye with Merkel – such as Spain’s Mariano Rajoy and Greece’s Antonis Samaras – to leftists with whom she often disagrees – including France’s Francois Hollande and Italy’s Enrico Letta – attended.

With European Council chief Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, they discussed how best to spend €6 billion in the next two years to create jobs and provide training and apprenticeships.

Merkel wants to study best practice to fight unemployment and create sustainable jobs, looking at the experiences of states with low unemployment.

“Youth unemployment is perhaps the most pressing European problem,” she said in an interview with a group of European newspapers on the eve of her summit.

But the timing of the meeting has raised eyebrows. Germany’s opposition Social Democrats (SPD) criticised Merkel for holding a “show summit”.

“Now she is driving around Europe in an ambulance handing out band-aids for the injuries she has caused with her own policies,” the SPD’s Andrea Nahles said.