Research Papers

In 2011/2012 the attempts to manage the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone have re-awakened concerns about German leadership in Europe into the forefront again. In several member-states German dominance or hegemony, even if understood as inevitable and probably more virtuous than dangerous, has provoked often irrational and emotional reactions in national public opinions and media discourse. France, although linked to Germany in a symbiosis of ‘shared leadership’ from the very beginnings of the European community, is no exception. While the prospect of France becoming a ‘junior partner’ to a reinvigorated and much more self-confident Germany does not seem to be a major issue of concern for French public opinion, it is a sensitive issue for the French élites, who are torn between coming to terms with the dominance of what is after all their most reliable partner in European and global affairs, and the lure of Gaullist grandstanding and sovereignist dogma. Their hesitation and discomfort is revealed in moments of high uncertainty, such as during the 1992 referendum campaign on the Maastricht Treaty, in Mitterrand’s prevaricating over whether Paris should support German reunification in 1989-90 or, more recently, in the 2012 presidential election campaign. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, the paper seeks to establish a link between these three key moments in contemporary French politics. It will identify the manner in which perception patterns and stereotype in relation to Germany have been used by successive generations of French political leaders with the aim to either fuel or respond to scepticism towards the European integration project. It will thus describe a remarkable evolution in official discourse, as well as its reception by the French public, and draw conclusions from this discourse on the evolution of French self-perception in terms of shared EU leadership.