Together France and Germany have been seen as the heartland and motor of Europe for decades. The age-old animosity between the two neighbours had erupted in the scope of two World Wars in the 20th century. When the European integration began through the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community, thoughts were still mainly on avoiding another outbreak of the enmity. Very few people would have thought that the countries would become the driving tandem of the EU by the end of the 20th century.Yet, something has changed since the world financial and economic crisis starting in late 2008. France has criticised Germany for its over-dependence on exports, claiming that the German model works at the expense of other EU Member States. On the other side, Angela Merkel blocked French President Sarkozy's plans for a joint EU approach towards economic governance. (I had posted some remarks on the lack of such a joint approach back in February). But the rift is not only widening between the European tandem. Also the rest of Europe is eying Germany with increasing suspicion.
The main reason for the tensions is Germany's slow approval of financial support for Greece and the European emergency fund to stabilise the Euro-zone. Media in other European countries has increasingly written about Germany 'showing its teeth' and pursuing and increasingly national agenda. Newspaper commentaries, like George Soros' commentary in last weeks Die Zeit, claim that Germany is trying to impose its model of financial austerity on the other Member States. In the German population on the other hand there are fears that Germany will be pulled back into the financial crisis by other, weaker EU Member States or that they will be deprived of the fruits of their hard work through the failures of irresponsible governments in other Member States.
What are the reasons for these widening rifts between Germany and many of its European neighbours? I argue that there is a fundamental misunderstanding about the way Germany sees itself and is seen by its neighbours. Germans are traditionally very skeptical about the economic development and when assessing their overall situation. Even though Germany weathered the financial and economic crisis well, and came out on top, people are worrying about the chaotic situation in the German Federal Government, they are afraid that the model of temporary employment that brought Germany through the crisis might collapse or backfire; they are afraid that they could be sucked in to a new financial crisis by Greek, Spain, Ireland and other countries struggling for a financial equilibrium.
The EU neighbours on the other hand see Germany as THE economic power on the continent. And they see that the economic dominance has grown even stronger since Germany weathered the crisis comparatively well. Additionally, our neighbours are projecting their notions of nationhood on Germany. Pursuing national interests in certain situations is perfectly normal for most states, even within the EU. So other EU Member states see Germany's show of force, that is born out of fear, as a claim of leadership or even dominance within the EU. Germans on the other hand do not have a 'normal' notion of nationhood since World War II. The view that the Holocaust and World War II were a consequence of Germany's national ambitions is a mainstream view over here. As a consequence, Germany has to follow national interests much more implicitly than its neighbours. Only when Germans see their economic wealth at stake, a centrepiece of Germany's post-war self-image, stronger moves are admissible. But in Germany this is seen as self defence, not as a bid for power.
Only recently, inter alia through the World Cup 2006 celebrations in Germany, a more relaxed relationship with nationhood has been emerging in Germany. Germans were seen as a friendly and hospitable nation during the World Cup 2006, a fact that was widely reflected in national press coverage and in which Germans took a lot of pride. It was seen as a way to find a new approach towards nationhood, completely different from 20th century national(social)ism. Germans see themselves, and want to be seen, as a friendly nation (just have a look at the World Cup logo Germany chose below). Reliable, friendly and unoffending. So they do not realise how their economic policies are being read by their neighbours. Germany is not conscious of its increasing power within the EU and is thus not using this power in a responsible way and with respect for the fears of its neighbours that see an increasing economic dominance of Germany looming over their heads.
Germany still has to learn that power comes with responsibility. This responsibility has to be assumed actively. It is not possible to act as if the increase of German economic power had not taken place, but this is exactly what Germany is doing. Germans are saying 'we just wanna be friends' while they are defending their newly won economic power position. In order to understand the background of this misunderstanding, Germany and its neighbours have to learn to see things through each other's eyes. Apparently, 60 years of integration have not been enough to reach this level of mutual understanding.
