Taking the Pulse: Does the EU Have a Germany Problem?
Are Germany’s economic, industrial, and political struggles becoming a liability for the EU’s ability to rise to the geopolitical moment?
- Contribution of Paul Maurice, Secretary General of the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations, Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI).
The problem is not simply that Germany is growing too slowly. Its industrial model, built on cheap Russian energy, export-driven manufacturing, and deep economic ties with China, has been badly shaken. Energy costs remain high, Chinese competition is intensifying, and Germany’s automotive giants are struggling to adapt to the electric transition. At the same time, political fragmentation at home is making strategic decisions harder to make.
For the EU, this matters because Germany’s weight has always translated into European leverage. When Berlin hesitates, Brussels often hesitates with it. On defense, industrial policy, energy, and relations with China, the gap between the scale of the geopolitical challenge and Europe’s ability to act is becoming harder to ignore.
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- Text published on the Carnegie Europe website.
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Paul MAURICE
Secretary General of the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa), Ifri
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.
Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
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