Drawing on the characterisation of the European Council as an arena for ‘integrative bargaining’, the paper shows the importance of two factors that influence whether a country can act as ‘first among equals’ or (‘Primus Inter Pares’) in a system designed to respect national sovereignty: alignment among the ‘Big Three’, and ‘voice opportunities’ for smaller member states. We support this argument with view of Germany's divergent role in two recent international crises - the 2011 uprisings in Libya and the violent protests in Ukraine in 2014/2015. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that the ability to create consent among all Member States is both a key prerequisite and a serious challenge for effective leadership in EU foreign policy.
CITATION STYLE
von Weitershausen, I., Schäfer, D., & Wessels, W. (2020). A ‘Primus Inter Pares’ in EU Foreign Policy?–German Leadership in the European Council during the Libyan and Ukrainian Crises. German Politics, 29(1), 42–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644008.2019.1583328
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.