A clear majority of Germans wish for both an active and a cooperative German presence in the EU. Our study examines the actual outlook of German citizens as well as citizens’ reported priorities for the German Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Although the European Union is facing enormous political challenges, Germany has shown little initiative in European politics in recent years. Proposed reforms of other member states, such as France, have been mostly opposed on the grounds that «the German taxpayers» must not be even further burdened. This study investigates the factual and popular basis of this narrative.
