The rising influence of Germany within the EU has generated much discussion in recent years. The Treaty of Lisbon’s revised processes for deciding EU foreign policy, which significantly delegated formal leadership to the EU level, have changed the relationship between EU institutions and member states and made it more difficult to understand how and why Germany exercises leadership in its political system (Kagan, 2019). It is vital to note that there is a significant distinction between Germany’s might and its leadership capacity. The recent economic and political crises have given birth to Germany’s leadership in European foreign policy, which is influenced by the interaction of internal circumstances and the expectations of its major allies and partners (Janning, 2019). Germany’s CFSP leadership style illustrates the contradictory nature of post-Lisbon European foreign policy, which may be described in terms of the informal, horizontal “cross” dynamics of Europeanization.
Germany had a crucial role in the creation and growth of the eurozone and the euro as a currency and economic system. Due to this, Germany and France are considered to be the two most influential countries in Europe. Germany has a reputation for being one of the most erratic and unreliable performers on the world stage throughout its very brief history as a country (Janning, 2019). The state was united through several battles in the 1860s and 1870s. Otto von Bismarck used “blood and iron” to create a country out of it, transforming it into a tranquil “saturated power” over the following two decades.
Germany has gained a natural leadership position in EU economic and monetary policy during the past ten years. The “German question,” or how the rest of Europe should see German dominance, is now at the core of the European endeavor (Janning & Möller, 2016). Berlin has increasingly assumed a more significant role in foreign and security affairs. In recent years, the necessity to respond to crises and wars in and around Europe has taken precedence over President Joachim Gauck’s, Foreign Minister Walter Steinmeier’s, and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen’s desire to enhance Germany’s foreign and security policy.
References
Kagan, R. (2019). The new German question, what happens when Europe comes apart? Foreign Affairs.
Janning, J. (2019). Germany and the crisis of atlanticism. European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR).
Janning, J., & Möller, A. (2016). Leading from the centre: Germany’s new role in Europe. European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR).