Moral Leadership or Moral Hazard? Germany’s Response to the Refugee Crisis and Its Impact on European Solidarity

Abstract

Germany has long played a quiet but essential role in moving the EU forward. Recently, external crises pushed Germany to embrace a visible leadership role, providing the EU with resources to both muddle through and even expand institutional competence. In 2015 Germany led in managing Europe’s refugee crisis. Which of three scenarios presented by the editors best describes the impact that the crisis and Germany’s leadership had on the EU? I argue that German leadership in Europe was constrained by weak EU institutions in the issue area of immigration, institutions in which Germany is embedded. When constrained by institutional weakness, Germany cannot successfully lead by coercion. In this case, however, it did, thereby dividing Europe Although the European refugee crisis receded, EU solidarity was weakened. Europe could only “muddle through.”