Debating the Role of German Leadership

Alexander Privitera

AGI Non-Resident Senior Fellow

Alexander Privitera a Geoeconomics Non-Resident Senior Fellow at AGI. He is a columnist at BRINK news and professor at Marconi University. He was previously Senior Policy Advisor at the European Banking Federation and was the head of European affairs at Commerzbank AG. He focuses primarily on Germany’s European policies and their impact on relations between the United States and Europe. Previously, Mr. Privitera was the Washington-based correspondent for the leading German news channel, N24. As a journalist, over the past two decades he has been posted to Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, and Rome. Mr. Privitera was born in Rome, Italy, and holds a degree in Political Science (International Relations and Economics) from La Sapienza University in Rome.

What does Germany want? Almost four years after the outbreak of the euro crisis, many Europeans still ask themselves this very question. In a recent interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel, Chancellor Angela Merkel seemed to suggest that a further transfer of sovereignty from member states to Brussels is not needed and that the next president of the European Commission should not be elected directly by European citizens. Over the past weekend German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble contradicted the chancellor saying that the Commission needs to become a true European government. Even within the German government the debate on the future of Europe seems to be far from settled. The Economist is currently hosting an online discussion on the role of German leadership in Europe and asked AGI senior fellow Alexander Privitera to contribute.

Economist Debates: Germany’s Role in Europe, Guest Response by Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera