With a little help of the constitutional court: The bundestag on its way to an active policy shaper

Abstract

European integration was initially ‘born as an elite project’ (Chandler, 2010, p. 154). As in most other founding member states, this process was accompanied by neither intensive public deliberations nor intensive (party) political contestation. Support for European integration was especially high among German policymakers who emphasized the special role of the Franco-German axis. In recent years, however, German governments have been less timid about voicing their national interest vis-á-vis their European partners.