Angela Merkel and the European Majority
José M. de Areilza
April 28, 2006
Angela Merkel is leading the European debates despite the little time passed by since her appointment as German chancellor. The Union does not have a clear roadmap and strong leaders are very much in need. Ms. Merkel, with her strong convictions and pragmatic attitude, has fortunately taken up this challenge. This politician from the ancient German Democratic Republic combines two rare political virtues: a sound knowledge of European “dossiers” and the ability to speak clearly to the citizens, which is something rather infrequent in Brussels.
Besides her strong emphasis on a renewed transatlantic relationship and the impulse she is giving to the European energy policy, with the aim of adopting a common strategy which include political and security aspects, the third priority of the Bundeskanzlerin concerns the European Constitution. Her plan is not to push forward the 448 Article long European Constitutions, but to propose a more modest amendment of the actual Treaties under the 2007 German Presidency. This reform should incorporate the most important innovations of the European Constitution – to Ms. Merkel, this basically means new rules on EU institutions. But her cherry picking could be unacceptable for many Member States, who see the Constitution as a global pact in which all the governments had to renounce something in a number of articles. Concretely, the Spanish and Polish governments are not keen on reengage in the discussion about the new system of double majority, which benefits Germany and also enhances the institutional position of France, the UK and Italy, leaving too frequently the Council of Ministers in the hands of the big four. Therefore, the selection of issues to be renegotiated should be discussed in an open and transparent way in order to allow all the Member States to have a final say on which parts of the Constitution should be resurrected.
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