A devious partner but finally a partner

History has accelerated this weekend. Angela Merkel, party in Brussels to approve aid to the Greece plan, had to consent, under pressure from the markets, the change in nature of the euro area against which she was beaten for months. Yesterday, are under age 60 of the Schuman Declaration (see box), German, important regional elections day twenty - seven finance ministers were in fact put in place a new mechanism for management of crisis in the euro area. In the future, the European Commission should be able to borrow on the markets the funds that a country of the area would more available on the market. A major paradigm shift. Such ease already existed for the countries of the EU outside the single currency. But for Berlin, it was until very recently, unthinkable to apply it to the euro club: each participant was supposed to clean up at home, without community rescue tool.

You will know if the new European plan satisfied that in the days and weeks, by the reaction of the markets. What can however already be, is analyzing the way in which Berlin has operated in the Greek crisis, and to infer design that is the Germany of its role on the European scene. The extreme rigour demonstrated by Angela Merkel, on the Greece earned him very severe criticism, in many countries, including his own. Ulrike Guérot, Director of the Berlin Office of the European Center on Foreign Relations, was still very critical last week, just before the approval of the Greek plan: "The Germany sees itself as a victim and proves unable to take the leadership, as once." "It has lost its passion and patience for Europe".

The spectrum of selfishness

Ulrike Guérot is part of the attentive observers of Europe, German, are are moved "roughly" management of the crisis, by the German Government. All rely on the kohlienne gesture and accuse Angela Merkel of squandering European capital accumulated by former Chancellor; recline in an opinion hostile to the idea of helping the Greece; to be influenced by the "Bild Zeitung", it is true unleashed; not having acted only in the light of the crucial regional elections in North Rhine Westphalia, which took place yesterday.

Under this banner, it can store Jürgen Trittin, co-leader of the fraction of the Greens in the Bundestag, claiming in the "Spiegel" "more Helmut Kohl"; Joschka Fischer, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gerhard Schröder, who denounces in the magazine "Cicero" "a European policy to short-sighted." Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who criticizes Berlin, in "Release", "to the boat closer to its national interests." This view is widespread in Europe, where Angela Merkel became Chancellor of iron, in reference, sometimes to Margaret Thatcher, that history was not frankly accepted European commitment, sometimes in Bismarck, who managed to unify the Germany winning three wars against the Denmark, the Austria, and then the France. It is drawn little by little, at least in some countries, the spectre of a selfish Germany, hang-ups to arrogance, Eurosceptic. The Constitutional Court of Karlsruhe made no last year a terribly presented judgment on the Treaty of Lisbon

In fact, in this period of great tesion who asked the question of the relationship between European, emotions have been able to take on the reason. It did not intend to interpret the silence of some countries, too happy to let Angela Merkel play the role of the "bad cop". It has often failed to listen to the German arguments and overshadowed some realities.

German opinion, first. While she is largely hostile to aid in the Greece. But this is not necessarily infer a lack of solidarity. The Germans also mostly pursuit against a decline of their own taxes! They are just more concerned about public accounts than other Europeans. We know why: poor demographics, trauma persistent hyperinflation, Ant temperament. In the latest study by the Allensbach Institute (April 2010), only 47 of the Germans (against yet 56 in 2008) say they are nostalgic for the markit drops to 31 in less than 30 years.

Then, supposed euro-béatitude of Helmut Kohl. "It idealizes completely era Kohl, is in custody this European diplomat in Brussels." It has always been difficult to deal with the Germany, who has powerful Länder, siloed departments. The negotiations on the euro, in the 1990s, have been very, very hard. But these tensions remained a secret. What is new, it is the word released a new generation of policies. What is perceived as a change of attitude comes in part from a change in the mode of expression.

The fear of

Karlsruhe

With regard to the Constitutional Court, the judgment in 2009 was, it is true, hoqueter than a specialist. And the extreme severity of Angela Merkel in the Greek case undeniably, explained in part by his fear of being punished by the judges in Karlsruhe, which play a role much more important in democratic life and the Constitutional Council in France. But, according to Christian Calliess, Constitutionalist of the Freie Universität Berlin, "the President of the Court was very surprised the mostly negative reception of discontinuation of 2009 among the jurists specialized." "Since then, in the press, he gave a temperate interpretation." Saturday, the Court rejected the appeal of emergency the day before by economists who wanted to block Greek aid plan. A German Commission look at the answer of the judges as a "white flag of the Tribunal, which accepts the primacy of politics".

It is also much talk on the ballot yesterday in North Rhine Westphalia, decisive for the majority in the Bundesrat. Angelica Schwall-Düren, MP SPD very involved in European Affairs, was convinced that "Angela Merkel would have acted differently without these elections". But, in the entourage of the Chancellor, it was to prohibit: "question, it was not these elections, this was not the 8 billion of aid for 2010, was the sustainability of the euro area. Implication: we were aware of the enormity of the challenge.

It is that the Germans, who both took the euro to assert their exporting model, see themselves as the pillar of the monetary union. A European diplomat confirms: "Are blame, with good reason, to the Germans, in all the sequences of the crisis, their slowness to analyze, respond, propose." But it is also because, critical or concerned about the attitude of some of their partners, they see themselves as the pole of stability in the EU and to recognize at the same time a great responsibility. "And refuse to act in haste. Gives Angela Merkel, who reiterated to the envi, in recent weeks: "what is the best European, that granting assistance in the emergency department or one that reflects the viability of the euro area."

Reasons to be disappointed by its partners, the Chancellor has a number, according to Jean Pisani-Ferry, Director of the think tank Brussels Bruegel: "any part of the scenario which took place in Greece, it was very exactly the nightmare of the Germans." No wonder that they reacted in a strong manner. And then they have solved a number of problems still pending in many countries: take the issues of competitiveness, fiscal consolidation, pensions. They have a little feel with cannonballs at the foot. "In addition, according to a diplomat,"alleged a lack of enthusiasm in Berlin, but it must be said that Europe is disenchanted." After the failure of the French referendum on the Constitution, in 2005, was launched the concept of 'Europe of projects' as a false nose to argue that this was not so serious. "But the results are disappointing."

Over the years, the Germany fed in addition to doubts about the Community method. Hence its remoteness manifest of the Commission, more and more associated with the expense, bureaucracy, a patronising legalism, hence its long insistence on not to give more powers to the community Executive. Until yesterday. Hence, also, the involvement of the IMF, considered more competent in the crisis Greek. But it would be great wrong to infer that the Germany is devoid of Europe. It has too many interests. Berlin developed simply to more - and the followers of the community was disappointed - on the intergovernmental.

A pragmatic partner

It is significant that Chancellor has sent to the Commission the former Minister-President of the Land of Baden - Würtemberg, without experience of the EU, but appoint his closest Adviser on European issues as future Secretary General of the Council. Because it is the Council Angela Merkel wants to weigh. Knowing that she still delivered the word, once taboo, German "economic government" of the EU. As early as this weekend, a diplomat considered that "the Germans agreed to road going very far". "". Nothing less than a coordination of economic policy and budget of the Member States. Cold, it will draw lessons from this crisis. "Hence it could result in significant advances. As several debates lie ahead: reform of the stability pact; Reflections on new instruments for funding of infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, transportation; 2014-2020 budget and reform of the CAP. On all these fronts, the Germany will be at the heart of the discussions. A devious partner, but finally, a partner. And as shown in the coup de Theatre this weekend, sufficiently pragmatic to renounce his deepest convictions in an emergency.