Germany — and Europe — still unsure of its place in EU

‘Poor old Germany,’ said Kissinger. ‘Too big for Europe, too small for the world.’ That maxim is still proving true today, writes Wolfgang Ischinger

The prolonged Greek debt crisis and the ongoing influx of refugees into Europe have ignited a debate about Germany’s role within the EU: Has Germany become the European hegemon? And if not, should it assume that role, as some have suggested, in order to prevent the European project from failing?

The idea of German hegemony — as should be clear to any student of history — is self-defeating. Instead, Germany should assume the position of Europe’s “chief facilitating officer,” as German foreign affairs minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier aptly called it, focused on strengthening the EU by working to create the conditions necessary for a truly common European foreign and security policy, one that proactively prepares the continent to meet the challenges it confronts.