Hans STARK
Counselor on Franco-German relations at Ifri
Research Interests:
- Contemporary Germany: Domestic and foreign policy
- French-German relations: Questions of security, European construction
- European integration: History of European Integration, Common Foreign and Security Policy
Hans Stark is an Institut d’études politiques de Paris (SciencesPo Paris) graduate. He completed a PhD in political science at Sorbonne University in 2001 where his research focused on German European politics. In 2011, he received his accreditation to supervise research in German studies at the University of Lille 3.
From March 1991 to March 2020, Hans Stark was the Secretary General of the Study Committee on French-German Relations (Cerfa) at the French institute of international relations – Ifri. Since March 2020, he is a Counselor on Franco-German relations at Ifri, where his work essentially covers German foreign and European policies. In parallel, Hans Stark has taught as a lecturer fro 2002 to 2005 and as a Senior lecturer from 2005 to 2012 at the University Paris 3 Sorbonne-Nouvelle where he was appointed Professor of Contemporary German Civilization in 2012.
Underneath the rhetoric of commitment to a multilateral order, Germany's policy seems to be mainly structured around its national interests.
The German EU presidency in the second half of 2020 was Angela Merkel’s last presidency, shortly before her chancellorship ends in 2021. It was therefore expected that the Chancellor would use all her experience and influence to achieve positive results.
Germany joined the creation of Economic and Monetary Union only with great hesitation and has tried to dictate the spirit and rules of operation of the Union.
The numerous commitments made in the Aachen Treaty concealed a wide range of disagreements over defense, the future of the European Union, economic policies, relations with Russia, and so on.
Germany has enjoyed a decade of sustained economic growth, benefiting from a very low unemployment rate and considerable trade and budgetary surpluses. This phase is now coming to an end. Some even believe that the German economic model needs to be rethought.
French Foreign Policy in the Age of Polycrisis in Sicherheit und Frieden, Security and Peace, 3/2019
Under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, France has set itself the goal of strengthening its international presence, being more proactive and defining the European reform agenda. However, the French room for manoeuver is limited.
Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, celebrations have taken a disappointing turn. The electoral successes of the far-right German party AfD (Alternative for Germany (in German: Alternative für Deutschland)) in Saxony, Brandenburg and Thuringia in...
Even though the CDU-CSU led Grand Coalition was renewed following the German legislative elections of 24 September 2017, and even though Angela Merkel was re-elected chancellor a fourth consecutive term, the country has entered a period of growing political uncertainty. The formation of a new...
Angela Merkel is gaining thanks to her international standing and the weakness of her Social-Democrat opponent.
France’s current presidential campaign has created an unprecedented situation fuelled by revelations and a total absence of restraint, but it has not truly taken account of the disruptions of the last year: Brexit, the attempted coup in Turkey, the election of Donald Trump, the recapturing of...
Germany's Ursula von der Leyen nominated to lead EU Commission.
Since the financial crisis of 2008, has the balance of power between France and Germany shifted in favor of Berlin? Does Angela Merkel alone decide on the conduct of the European Union? The answer obviously deserves to be nuanced.
On May 26, the Germans will go to the polls to elect their MEPs. An important election for Germany, where political parties have been in the process of restructuring since the last federal election.
The Netherlands and France are not the only founding member states of the European Union that see extreme right party’s on the rise. The “Alternative für Deutschland” gathers 10 percent of voting intentions in Germany – especially in the East. Some of its leaders don’t hesitate to use...
The right-wing spiral of Germany’s anti-EU Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) has brought it shoulder to shoulder with France’s National Front (NF). The two parties see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, including Russia.
Angela Merkel loosing the elections in Germany could be one of the many electoral suprises in 2017. Surveys on voting intentions for the legislative elections in September show that her opponent Martin Schulz (social-democrat) has started overtaking her.
Martin Schulz will be the SPDs candidate for the general elections in 2017, facing the CDUs Angela Merkel. Could his arrival threaten the Chancellor and reinvigorate a rather dull looking SPD?
What political future for the German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a year characterised by the New Years incident in Cologne and the attack in Berlin?
Will Angela Merkel still be chancellor in a years' time? Hans Stark gives an overview over the German political landscape. According to him, the rise of the right wing populists and eurosceptics will continue, but won’t hinder the forming of a government coalition.
The president of the European Commission about security, investment and assistance in Africa. According to Hans Stark, Jean-Claude Juncker didn't beat around the bush and instead of going too far in self-chastisement he tried to give hope to European citizens.