Merkel, time to take stock: a struggling European
German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Élysée Palace, September 16, 2021. © Photos: AFP / Editing: FMM Graphic Studio
Text by: Pascal Thibaut Follow
6 mins
No politician will have marked European politics over the past 16 years like the German Chancellor.
Angela Merkel had to deal with many crises, sometimes with late reactions.
On the other hand, it never presented a vision for the future of Europe.
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From our correspondent,
With the coming to power of Angela Merkel in 2005,
an East German woman takes the reins of the country
fifteen years after its reunification. Unlike her Christian Democratic predecessors, Konrad Adenauer or
Helmut Kohl
, her father in politics, the new Chancellor, who grew up in the Communist GDR, was not impregnated by European construction. “
At the start of her term, she did not understand why France is so important to Germany. For her, in the GDR, the model was West Germany and the United States. She did not vibrate too much for the European idea,
”analyzes Angela Merkel's biographer, journalist Ralph Bollmann.
Despite everything, the “little news” on the European scene quickly garnered a first success where, already, her negotiating skills were illustrated. During its first European Council in December 2005, it helped settle the - still thorny - issue of the EU budget (for the period 2007-2013). “
A huge cloud has been lifted over Europe,
” explains Angela Merkel after the negotiations. A few months after the rejection by the French and the Dutch of the draft European Constitution, cutting the Gordian knot of the budget allows bruised Europe to breathe. "
On this issue, she did not play the French card, but approached other countries, which allowed her to find a compromise on the EU budget
", analyzes Ralph Bollmann.
► To listen: Angela Merkel, a German destiny
It is especially from her second term, which begins in 2009, that Angela Merkel's weight in Europe will increase during the euro zone crisis and
the Greek drama
.
The Chancellor underestimates the scope of the financial crisis and its implications and remains reluctant to support plans for
the euro zone
.
It is criticized, in particular by France, led at the time by Nicolas Sarkozy, for waiting too long to decide and for remaining inflexible.
The former East German remains deeply attached to the rules of the market and is reluctant to intervene.
Within the European Union and the euro zone, she pleads for a policy of restructuring struggling economies, drawing the anger of hard-hit Southern Europeans.
"
When the euro crisis started in 2010, solidarity between member countries was not a priority for her. It took a long time for her to become a convinced European
, ”analyzes Ralph Bollmann. But Germany's partners, starting with France, do not always understand the Chancellor's constraints: “
Many pro-Europeans have criticized her for betraying, through her attachment to budgetary orthodoxy, the legacy of Helmut Kohl. At the same time, the same people had to recognize that the Chancellor's room for maneuver was limited. Its coalition partner, the Liberal Party, certain Christian Democrats, the Constitutional Court and the Bundesbank: all forces which limited its options,
”adds Ralph Bollmann.
The pandemic, the last crisis that Angela Merkel will have had to face
The Chancellor ends up accepting the support mechanisms of the euro zone, but sees, with each new vote in the Bundestag, her majority deteriorate.
When the situation in Greece threatens this same zone, Angela Merkel opposes her Minister of Finance,
Wolfgang Schäuble
, who pleaded for Athens to leave the euro zone to save the latter.
For the Chancellor, the cohesion of Europe is at stake.
As soon as this matter is settled, a new European crisis is looming on the horizon with
the arrival of several hundred thousand refugees
and Angela Merkel's decision, in early September 2015, not to close Germany's borders. A decision not really coordinated with its partners, but which is still today around the world to the Chancellor a strong popularity. On the other hand, it will fail in its wish to set up quotas between European countries for the reception of refugees. A reform of the right of asylum wanted by Berlin does not see the light of day.
The pandemic is the last crisis Angela Merkel will have had to face. The Chancellor will operate a Copernican revolution for her country. With the joint initiative presented with Emmanuel Macron in May 2020 and which will lead to the European recovery plan, the German head of government accepts the issuance of a common European debt, a red rag for the Christian Democrats. This initiative is a success of the Paris-Berlin axis after the lack of response in Germany to Emmanuel Macron's proposals on Europe. Surprisingly, the negative reactions on the Chancellor's camp are very low key. Berlin understood that the major consequences of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic were harmful for German interests, the countries concerned being so many markets for this exporting country. "
This project may be his political testament for Europe,
”says Ralph Bollmann.
This recovery plan advances European integration even if the readings differ between those who see it as a qualitative leap over time and others like… Angela Merkel: “
This plan explicitly refers to the pandemic, its action is targeted and it is limited in time
”, specifies the Chancellor at the rostrum of the Bundestag in June 2020.
"
She had no ambition for Europe
"
What conclusions can we draw from Angela Merkel's action in Europe? “
She always tried to find compromises to allow progress, but she moved too slowly and wasted time on the continent. The turning point in the recovery plan is an important step forward
, ”said Daniela Schwarzer, executive director of the Open Society Foundation. Franziska Brantner, specialist in European issues with the Greens, also welcomes Angela Merkel's crisis management, but regrets her reluctance: "
She has no visions, she had no ambition for Europe unlike Chancellor Kohl or former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
She reacted to crises to find solutions, but without trying to move forward.
It has remained attached, as in France, to an intergovernmental vision of Europe without seeking to strengthen its institutions
”.
Martin Schulz, the former President of the European Parliament and unfortunate opponent for the Social Democrats of Angela Merkel in the race for the chancellery in 2017, also draws
a negative assessment
: “
She has never shown ambition for the 'Europe.
This also applies to Franco-German relations
”.
Despite this mixed record, Angela Merkel seems to benefit from the support of Europeans.
A recent poll showed that if a president of the European Union were directly elected, the chancellor would win clearly with 41% against Emmanuel Macron at 14%.
►
To read also:
Merkel, time to take stock: in Stuttgart, the balance of colonialism
?
Merkel, time to take stock: in Cologne, the realization of an assumed migration policy
Merkel, time to take stock: a more modern societal policy
Merkel, time to take stock: in the Rhineland, the contradictions of environmental policy
Merkel, time to take stock: in Dresden, a more autonomous and forward-looking industry
►
On France 24:
[Long format] Return on the 16 years of reign of the German Chancellor
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