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A ‘Primus Inter Pares’ in EU Foreign Policy? – German Leadership in the European Council during the Libyan and Ukrainian Crises

2019; Routledge; Volume: 29; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09644008.2019.1583328

1743-8993

Inez von Weitershausen, David Schäfer, Wolfgang Wessels,

Global Peace and Security Dynamics

Drawing on the characterisation of the European Council as an arena for ‘integrative bargaining’, the paper shows the importance of two factors that influence whether a country can act as ‘first among equals’ or (‘Primus Inter Pares’) in a system designed to respect national sovereignty: alignment among the ‘Big Three’, and ‘voice opportunities’ for smaller member states. We support this argument with view of Germany's divergent role in two recent international crises - the 2011 uprisings in Libya and the violent protests in Ukraine in 2014/2015. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that the ability to create consent among all Member States is both a key prerequisite and a serious challenge for effective leadership in EU foreign policy.