One Country Alone Cannot Solve These Problems : German Leadership\u27s Role in Europe\u27s Decade of Crisis

Continuous crisis in the European Union has resulted in skewed power dynamics between Member States and supra-state institutions. This project explores how German leaders have positioned themselves in the European Union during acute crises and how their discourse promotes integration efforts. Press conferences, press statements, and government statements between 2010–2020 are analyzed, informed by actor-produced policy-narrative analysis and archival research methods. Dominant themes of economic stability, unity, and bordering are revealed. European institutional power and European identity have shifted in the last decade due to the complex institutional dynamics between nation states and the European Union. Broader questions over identity, border control, and the future of Europe have been challenged by theses crises as policies pushed forward by Germany have both increased and decreased integration. Recent trends in anti-Europeanism among the German electorate have shifted domestic politics away from pro-integrationist policies, threatening the support for future European integration. This study contributes the discussion about the stability of the European project