The year 2024 ended with two turning points: Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election and the collapse of the German coalition of traffic lights. The consequences of these events will have a lasting impact on German European policy.
Under the new Trump administration, the USA could assume significantly less responsibility in NATO, pursue a more protectionist trade policy and possibly withdraw from the Paris climate protection agreement again. The German traffic light coalition has not been able to realise many of its European policy goals from the coalition agreement under the difficult political conditions of recent years. The new Federal Government will face the challenge of pursuing a more proactive European policy. A Zeitenwende at European level has yet to materialise, the internal market needs to be completed and cooperation with new global partners is essential. At the same time, the new German government and the EU will have to tread the fine line of only engaging with Trump's ‘deal-making’ policy to the extent necessary.
In the lunch debate ‘German European policy in transition? An outlook’, Prof. em. Dr Gisela Müller-Brandeck-Bocquet and Dr Stormy-Annika Mildner, authors of the new edition of the IEP handbook ’Deutsche Europapolitik. Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Praxis’, discussed these and other potential effects of the political changes on German European policy. Prof Dr Mathias Jopp, co-editor of the handbook together with IEP Director Prof Funda Tekin, gave an introduction.
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