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President of European CouncilvUK has historically been a counterweight to Germany’s vision of the continent, but with Brexit and Germany proving itself most economically capable a seismic shift is about to take place in the corridors of power in Brussels. History of Germany as seen from the perspective her neighbours can teach us a lesson about Germany’s place in shaping the future of our continent.

UK has historically been a counterweight to Germany’s vision of the continent, but with Brexit and Germany proving itself most economically capable a seismic shift is about to take place in the corridors of power in Brussels. History of Germany as seen from the perspective her neighbours can teach us a lesson about Germany’s place in shaping the future of our continent.

I remember seeing this cartoon as a kid. God and his angels lean over the Earth and God giggles ‘Let’s prank the Polish and put them right between the Germans and the Russians’. But to understand why Germany kept expanding its borders through the means of war at the expense of her neighbours one has to acknowledge a simple fact. With few exceptions such as the Polish Golden Age, French might under the Sun King and Napoleon, or time of Austria’s economic and cultural boom under Maximilian I, for most part Germany has been economically superior to its neighbours.

Yet it was not till Bismarck unified the country in 1871 that Germans for the first time got to grasp exactly how much power they yield on the international stage. The power came quickly and in great quantities and soon gave the Germans a grand vision of themselves and their role in Europe which 43 years later created the grounds on which they fought both the First World War in 1914 and the Second twenty years later. It was a vision of Europe subjugated and under the control of the Germany as a reemerged new Roman Empire with its capital in Berlin. And we all know how well that went. Holocaust and 80 million dead.

So fast forward to 1989 when Margaret Thatcher tried to do everything to stop the German reunification from happening. Her argument was that a reunited Germany could reinstate the old territorial aspirations of Bismarck, Kaiser Wilhelm and Hitler. Her fear of German revanchism might have been justified at the time - it was not till 1992 that the treaty in which Germany recognised Polish-German border came into force. However, her solution of stopping Germany from ever uniting showed a lack of understanding of the country’s place in Europe.

The way to achieve a long lasting balance of power in Europe has never lied in attempting to limit the German might. We saw how the 1919 treaty of Versailles, which put humiliating sanctions on Germany, led to a wave of public anger and political populism on a back of which Hitler made his political career. It has been proven time and again that the only way of stopping German nationalism and chauvinism from gaining track lies in bringing Germany to the forefront.

However hesitant German politicians might be to take the reins of power of the Old Continent, they should understand that it is their duty to do so. Europe needs leadership now more than ever and Germany is best fit to step in. European Union is aching for change, the Euro requires structural reforms and closer economic cooperation between the states. Infrastructure projects such as rail need to be much better planned and coordinated. We need to show more solidarity towards poorer regions and offer Europe which is social and seen as helping the poor and not perceived as a mere vehicle for the interests of rich corporations and trading lobbies. At last we need Europe which is democratic and accountable to voters, so that Europeans begin to see the EU not as some distant function, but as something to participate in. Let's start with having direct elections for the post of President of the European Council.

The list is long and there has been far too little progress since we signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007. For us to excel we need Berlin to take its rightful seat behind the steering wheel, take responsibility and show some vision. Us as Europeans we should welcome it because it is in our interest that Germany’s future be European, not inward looking.