Leadership aspirations versus reality: Germany's self-concept in Europe

• Published in: International affairs (London) Vol. 99; no. 4; pp. 1615 - 1634
• Main Author: Schoeller, Magnus G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 03.07.2023
• Subjects: Accession; Aspiration; Leadership; Political elites; Political leadership; Reality; Self concept; Europe; Germany; foreign policy; European Union; Germany; European integration; regional leadership
• ISSN: 0020-5850; 1468-2346
• DOI: 10.1093/ia/iiad121

This article argues that while the political elite in Germany advocates for a rising German leadership role in major European Union policy areas, the country's leadership aspirations do not match the expectations of a regional leader. Abstract Leadership by powerful states is considered crucial to the success of regional integration. Since the European Union (EU) entered a ‘polycrisis’, many eyes have therefore been on Germany. But does the German political elite see itself as a leader in Europe? To date, whether German political elite members have cast off their much-cited ‘leadership avoidance reflex’ has not been empirically investigated. Based on an original elite survey, this article therefore investigates the extent to which Germany conceives of itself as a leading power in the EU. The findings show that the time of a ‘leadership avoidance reflex’ is gone. Instead, there is a high level of agreement across EU policies that Germany should take on a leadership role. However, the study also exposes a gap between leadership aspirations and perceived reality, especially when it comes to Germany providing a vision for the future of Europe. In contrast to previous research, the article therefore argues that it is not the lack of desire for leadership, but the inability to realize such a role that keeps Germany from taking the lead in Europe.