End of an era as 2 EU behemoths bow out

End of an era as 2 EU behemoths bow out

BY SUZANNE LYNCH

DECEMBER 28, 2023 7:00 AM CET

https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/end-of-an-era-as-2-eu-behemoths-bow-out/

Brussels Playbook

By SUZANNE LYNCH

with ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH

 

GOOD MORNING. Suzanne Lynch here bringing you the penultimate Brussels Playbook of 2023 as the countdown to New Year’s Eve begins. Yes, only three sleeps until you can pop open the Champagne again and indulge in some festive fun before normal play resumes.

 

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FIRST, SOME SAD NEWS. Two towering figures in European history — former European Commission President Jacques Delors and ex-German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble — have died. Politicians across Europe rushed to their phones to express their condolences and memories of two figures who really did shape European history, whatever your views of them.

 

‘A heavy loss for Germany and Europe,’ tweeted Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen (auf Deutsch), as she led tributes to her former party colleague Schäuble, who overcame huge personal adversity after an assassination attempt left him paralyzed to become one of the most powerful, and controversial, European finance ministers in history.

 

A few hours later, von der Leyen was back online to express condolences at the passing of Delors, at the age of 98. “Un visionnaire,” she wrote (en francais) of the Frenchman who ran the institution she currently heads between 1985 and 1995 and was key to everything from the Erasmus student program and the single market to the creation of the euro currency.

 

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SUMMING UP THEIR LEGACIES 

THE DOUBLE WHAMMY of losing two of post-war Europe’s biggest political figures within hours of each other was a poignant finish to the year, and a reminder of a sepia-toned era of European integration that many under the age of 30 would barely recognize.

 

Common ground: Though Delors and Schäuble were not strictly contemporaries — Delors was born in 1925, Schäuble in 1942 — the French and German nationals were of a post-war generation whose commitment to the EU was fueled by a sense of “never again” after the horrors of World War II.

 

Here are 3 things Delors and Schäuble had in common …

 

1. Both were passionately committed to European integration and drove it in different ways: Delors through the Maastricht Treaty and the creation of the single market; Schäuble through his central role in Germany reunification.

 

2. Both missed their chance at the top job on their home turf: Schäuble, who was widely seen as a successor to Helmut Kohl, was thwarted by a party financial scandal, though was later rescued from the political wilderness by Angela Merkel; Delors decided not to run for French president in the 1995 election — a move he later suggested he regretted.

 

3. Both suffered personal tragedy: Delors, the death of his son aged 29 from leukemia; Schäuble, an assassination attempt by a gunman in 1990 which left him paralyzed from the waist down.

 

3 things that divided them …

 

1. Perceived vs. actual power in the EU: Delors, as president of the EU’s executive arm, had a mandate to lead the work of the European Commission and determine the direction of EU policy; Schäuble, as the finance minister of just one member country, did not. Yet, Schäuble used his position as German finance minister during the eurozone crisis to exert an outsized influence on European economic and fiscal policy.

 

2. On the euro: Delors was the mastermind behind the single currency; Schäuble almost presided over its dissolution, toying with the idea of expelling Greece from the euro at one point. By imposing a policy of fiscal austerity on countries like Portugal, Ireland, and particularly Greece, during the global financial crisis, he promulgated a policy that stifled investment, arguably at a time when it was most needed.

 

3. Smooth talker vs. tough-talker: Delors, the polite, soft-spoken French Socialist whose position required him to seek consensus even as he suffered ups and downs, had a different personal style to Schäuble, who was known for his no-nonsense put-downs — a “pugnacious democrat” is how current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz put it Wednesday.

 

 

TOP READS 

CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR POLICY WONKS: Feeling left out from POLITICO’s unrivalled world of policy-focused coverage? Well it’s your lucky day. We’ve unlocked 10 of our most-read subscriber-only articles for 2023 to bring a bit of the Pro magic to homes across the land this festive season. All the freebies are here.

 

Get stuck in: Playbook’s top pick is the inside story of the European Commission’s thwarted attempts to dramatically lower the legal limit for exposure to benzene — a chemical linked to increased leukemia risk — after a campaign from fuel lobbyists. Also read this story of how Europe has become the world’s top market for cocaine from Latin America, with ports in Rotterdam and Antwerp serving as major entry points for the drug.

 

ANOTHER INTERESTING READ: Anchal Vohra has this analysis of the uncertain future of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, writing that the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has now thrown it off course.

 

**Vom Bundestag bis zu den Bundesländern – Berlin Playbook hat Ihre Politikberichterstattung im Griff. We’re coming to Germany – and bringing our award-winning journalism with us. Keen to get your daily dose of deutsche Politik before your morning coffee? Sign up here.**

 

IN OTHER NEWS 

INDIA’S FOREIGN MINISTER IN MOSCOW: India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is on a five-day trip to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. The New York Times has the details of the trip, during which Putin invited India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to also visit Russia.

 

AMPELKOALITION HERE TO STAY: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s messy three-party coalition may be plummeting in the polls and barely treading water since the end-of-year budget crisis, but don’t expect much to change any time soon.

 

Zombie government: As Matt Karnitschnig outlines, German governments are almost impossible to kill. The federal constitution requires conflicts to be resolved quickly and with as little disruption as possible; there’s a high bar for snap elections; and confidence votes in Germany are rare. Two years into the government’s four-year term, the German public should strap in.

 

DISCONTENT IN BELGRADE: Serbia is braced for more protests this weekend, following the December 17 election which prompted criticism from international observers and the European Commission. Demonstrators are due to take to the streets Saturday to protest against alleged irregularities, mostly centered around inflated electoral rolls. As Una Hajdari reports from Belgrade, demonstrators remain defiant, showing no sign of scaling back, despite dozens of arrests.

 

HALEY’S COMET: With just three weeks to go until the first U.S. presidential primaries at which voters will start choosing their candidates to run for the parties’ nomination, the biggest question right now is whether Nikki Haley can pull off the impossible. As our U.S. Playbook colleagues write, the 51-year-old former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is scrambling to close the gap with front-runner Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

 

Wishful thinking: Haley has climbed up the polls for the Republican nomination, successfully positioning herself as the alternative Trump candidate, but the former president is still well ahead. As Rachel Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza put it: “Can any amount of talent, money and discipline overcome Trump?”

 

**Grab your skis, winter jacket and Global Playbook - you’re coming to Davos with us. Listen in on the inside chatter of the World Economic Forum with our global newsletter, anchored by Suzanne Lynch. Be in the know - and never miss a beat. Register here.**