European Policy As Adaptive Behavior Of Germany And The Leadership Role In Eu As A Result Of Political Adaptation

Abstract

The European Union has been gradually transforming in the process of progressive integration. An example of the serious implications of these changes were multiple crises that called the European order into question, thus posing a challenge to keep the essential structures of the EU within acceptable limits. The crises have forced EU decision-makers and Member State governments to adopt appropriate adaptive behavior by implementing correct response mechanisms. Adaptation to change has become the foundation of the European policies of the Member States. The author uses the theory of political adaptation to analyze German European policy. Initially, its main determinants were presented in the context of shaping adaptive behavior. Then, based on them, the model of adaptation to changes in the EU preferred by the German authorities was formulated. Using the comparative method and case study, the adaptation model in the situation of minimal changes in Germany and the EU compared with the form of adaptive behavior in it might be rapid changes caused by the Eurozone crisis and the refugee crisis. They were the main catalyst for the reformulation of Germany’s adaptive approach from ‘habitual’ to ‘deliberative’ or ‘convulsive’ which resulted in strengthening the role of the leader.