Will a Weakened Merkel Doom Macron’s Hopes for EU Reform?

Will a Weakened Merkel Doom Macron’s Hopes for EU Reform?
French President Emmanuel Macron greets German Chancellor Angela Merkel prior to a joint Franco-German cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, July 12, 2017 (AP photo by Michel Euler).

Negotiations to form a coalition government in Germany broke down this week, leaving Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the country, in a state of suspended animation two months after an inconclusive general election. The possible ways forward include Merkel continuing as chancellor at the head of a minority government, or new elections. Opinion polls, however, suggest that a fresh round of voting would do nothing to significantly alter the electoral outcome or resolve the current impasse, opening what could be an extended period of political uncertainty in a country long known for its stability.

Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union suffered a drop in support in September, in part due to the surprisingly strong showing of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, forcing her to seek a coalition with the market-friendly Free Democrats and the Greens. How to address the long-term challenges raised by Merkel’s decision to open Germany’s borders to migrants and refugees in 2015 became a sticking point in the failed talks.

Merkel’s precarious position is bad news for French President Emmanuel Macron, who had sold his painful domestic structural reforms as the necessary trade-off for securing Berlin’s support for EU reforms meant to help stimulate both the French and wider European economies. Merkel’s uncertain future and the political paralysis it heralds leave him with a weakened partner in Berlin, jeopardizing those plans.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review