Through 20 conversations with Green decision makers and civil society actors, held prior to Germany's EU Council Presidency, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung has striven to contribute to a profound debate about the consequences of the pandemic and the future of the European project.
On July 1, 2020, Germany will once again serve as chair of the Council of the European Union since its previous turn thirteen years ago. It thus stands to follow that European politics have become a renewed focus of public debate in the country. Such discussions are continually characterized by the question of the nature of Germany’s responsibility in the European Union.
Although the European Union is facing enormous political challenges, Germany has shown little initiative in European politics in recent years. Proposed reforms of other member states, such as France, have been mostly opposed on the grounds that «the German taxpayers» must not be even further burdened. This study investigates the factual and popular basis of this narrative.
