The new German government: no change of course towards Europe

The authors, representing the German Greens, argue that the new German coalition agreement fails to offer a substantive vision for Europe, continuing a policy of austerity and national liability. They specifically criticize the rejection of debt communitization, the lack of a debt redemption pact, and the uncritical support for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). While noting some vague positive proposals regarding social policy and Western Balkans accession, the authors conclude that the agreement prioritizes backroom deals over democratic treaty reform.

• The German coalition agreement rejects the communitization of national debts and the use of joint government bonds, insisting that member states remain responsible for their own liabilities.
• The coalition agreement supports the conclusion of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade agreement with the USA without addressing criticisms regarding the exclusion of parliaments and civil society from negotiations.
• The agreement includes vague social policy goals, such as combating wage and social dumping, investigating minimum wage standards, and implementing the European Youth Guarantee.
• The authors argue the agreement lacks a democratic approach to treaty reform, omitting any mention of a Convention on the treaties and instead referencing only a need to amend the legal basis of the Economic and Monetary Union.
• The coalition agreement expresses support for the prospect of EU accession for all Western Balkans countries, while describing Turkey's accession negotiations as an "open-ended process" that could result in a privileged partnership.

APA

Cavazzini, A., & Scharfschwerdt, M. (2014). The new German government: no change of course towards Europe. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-new-german-government-no-change-of-course-towards-europe/

Chicago

Cavazzini, Anna, and Michael Scharfschwerdt. The new German government: no change of course towards Europe. Green European Journal, 2014. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-new-german-government-no-change-of-course-towards-europe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cavazzini |first1=Anna |last2=Scharfschwerdt |first2=Michael |title=The new German government: no change of course towards Europe |publisher=Green European Journal |date=6 January 2014 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-new-german-government-no-change-of-course-towards-europe/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cavazzini2014new, author = {Cavazzini, Anna and Scharfschwerdt, Michael}, title = {{The new German government: no change of course towards Europe}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2014}, month = jan, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-new-german-government-no-change-of-course-towards-europe/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }