Centered Power: On the responsibilities of Germany within Europa

Abstract

The European Union has been overstretched at least since the two rounds of eastern enlargement. Overstretch can be understood in two ways: either the territory integrated within a political entity becomes too large, or the central authority responsible for organizing this space is too weak. The consequence is the emergence of strong centrifugal forces, which in turn necessitate a countervailing centripetal power. Given current conditions, only Germany can assume the role of a “power in the center”, owing to its geographical position, its economic strength as by far the largest economy in the EU and thus its status as the largest net contributor, and finally its position as the Union’s most populous member state. However, in order to fulfill the tasks associated with a centripetal function, the German government depends on cooperation. The Weimar Triangle – comprising France, Germany, and Poland – offers itself as a suitable framework, potentially supplemented by Italy as a representative of the EU’s southern member states. The recent threats to the EU posed by Putin’s Russia and the pressures exerted by U.S. President Trump make resolute
European leadership imperative.