EPC and GE: CoFoE Has No Chance to Succeed without Germany's Full Participation
Brussels, December 13 (TASR-correspondent) – The success of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) is uncertain, the European Policy Centre (EPC) warned in September and following the formation of a new German government, the garagErasmus Foundation (gE) says that the CoFoE disappeared from German politics’ radar.
Referring to the forthcoming election in Germany, EPC stressed that the debate on the future of Europe had a German problem because the CoFoE can only lead to tangible results if Germany puts its full weight behind it – and fast.
Like with many other major EU initiatives in the past, it will require the combined leadership of France and Germany to make a difference. French President Emmanuel Macron has been and will remain a staunch supporter of the conference. But President Macron’s engagement will not be enough. He cannot steer the conference to success single-handedly without an ambitious German counterpart.
EPC drew attention to the fact that the political recalibration of German politics will thus take time – time the conference does not have.
In this context, Jacopo Scipione of the garagErasmus Foundation asks where does Germany stand. The garagErasmus Foundation is a professional and international network of Erasmus generation members that aims to support the formation of a better integrated Europe, with gE seeking to act like a “great European influencer” through social networks.
Scipione also pointed out that as many previous EU initiatives have shown, Germany and France are essential in order to achieve the best result. While France and its President Emmanuel Macron are strong supporters of the conference, the same cannot be said about Germany.
After the recent German federal elections, the CoFoE disappeared from German politics’ radar. The political and media attention has been completely absorbed by the elections and by the process of forming a new federal government after 16 years of Angela Merkel. Therefore, the risk that the Conference will lose its strength also at European level is very high: without German leadership, the EU head of states and governments will not pay enough attention to the Conference.
