Commentary: Grand coalition will not change German foreign policy

Quentin Peel, international affairs editor of the Financial Times, argues that Germany is no longer the “comfortable partner” it used to be in international and, particularly, European affairs.

Anyone who was expecting a big shift in German attitudes on transatlantic relations, Russia or the European Union is likely to be disappointed, argues Quentin Peel, international affairs editor of the Financial Times. However, Peel believes that Germany’s commitment to European integration and to NATO was always driven by the desire to reunite the country. Now that that has been achieved, the country has been liberated to pursue its wider national interest more actively. Berlin is still firmly multilateralist, but the national interest is more easily stated, as demonstrated by the campaign for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, in seeking more seats in the European Parliament and greater voting weight in the Council of Ministers. 

“The new Germany still wants to be both Atlanticist and European, but Europe is clearly the higher priority. It is distinctly less enthusiastic about EU enlargement if that means less integration and greater cost. It is more realistic about the value of NATO and less theological in its commitment. It will continue to promote good relations with Russia, occasionally turning a blind eye to human rights abuses.”

“Germany today, whether ruled by the left or the right, is not quite the comfortable partner it used to be, always ready to concede cash in the interests of consensus, but thanks to its slow-moving federal system and the eternal balancing act demanded by coalition politics it will never be aggressive, either,” writes Quentin Peel. 

He outlines the recent foreign policy differences between the social democrats and the conservatives: 

• Turkish membership in the EU. The Christian Democrats are opposed, the SPD in favour.
• Style of German diplomacy. Mr Schröder was accused by the conservatives of being too abrasive with Washington, but they are all opposed to sending any troops to Iraq. He was also charged with being too close to Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Here again, the CDU/CSU recognise that a good relationship with Moscow is essential because of the close trade and energy ties between them. 

As for broader EU policy, both parties agree that: 

• The Franco-German partnership remains an essential part of the process; 
• The EU Constitution cannot simply be abandoned; 
• Germany can no longer carry on as the principal paymaster for the EU budget. 

Therefore, unlike the last time when Germany was governed by a grand coalition of the two main parties of the left and right, when the most divisive issue on the agenda was foreign policy (Willy Brandt’s new ‘ostpolitik’), this time it looks as if the opposite holds true: “There is a broad consensus on foreign policy, but clear division over how to reform the German economy,” Quentin Peel concludes. 

Financial Times: Germany is entering a more assertive era