Pacemeker instead of European saviour: Germany’s EU presidency

Germany has taken over the presidency of the European Union in the midst of what is perceived to be a serious crisis for European integration. But even if the problems resulting from the faltering enlargement and deepening processes seem to be extremely complex, three important issues can be identified in which public debate since May 2005 has shown that there is the need for some action in the years to come. These areas will determine the scope of the initiatives and proposals to be addressed during the German presidency. First, the failed referendums in France and the Netherlands have been interpreted as an expression of the citizens’ general loss of confidence in the EU’s capacity to identify with their most pressing concerns and problems and also to design convincing solutions. The EU is caught in a vicious circle of public loss of confidence, hesitating and even paralysed governments and unattainable results. Secondly, all the EU’s member states will have to focus especially on consolidating the Union’s internal stability, which requires them not only to act but to reconcile the internal market’s global competitiveness with the necessity of adequate social policies. Thirdly, there is an urgent need to export stability, not only to the EU’s immediate neighbourhood, but also to more distant regions in order to successfully confront threats such as terrorism, extremism and organised crime.