Captain in the Storm: Challenges and Opportunities for the German EU Council Presidency
The German Presidency of the Council of the European Union begins on July 1, 2020 at a time of acute crisis. It is facing unprecedented challenges and organizational constraints in a context marked by high expectations from its European partners.
The purpose of this paper is to present the aims that Berlin has set itself and the room for maneuver at its disposal. After outlining the revised priorities of the German Presidency, it focuses on the debate on strategic independence and, in this context, on the relationship with China. Finally, it analyzes the conditions for German leadership at a moment when the Federal Government is facing conflicting expectations from its partners: it concentrates more specifically on Franco-German cooperation.
Claire Demesmay is head of the “France/French-German Relations” program at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin.
This publication is available in French: “Capitaine dans la tempête : défis et enjeux de la présidence allemande du Conseil de l’Union européenne”. (pdf)
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Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
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