Thread by @lucasguttenberg

This text by @akk is her first major contribution to the European debate, so read that carefully. It reflects two important Franco-German areas of convergence, not all of them helpful in my view - but it also shows two main open questions for the @cdu:

cdu.de/artikel/gettin…

1/Let's start with where @EmmanuelMacron and @akk intersect. First, both texts argue that Europe should be strengthened not for historical reasons but for Europe to be able to determine its own fate - "European way of life" as @akk puts it. This is completely in sync with Macron.

2/ Of course, @akk has the obligatory nod to the transatlanticists, but essentially, it means that the @cdu has bought the concept of European autonomy that Macron pushed since the Sorbonne speech (and that 🇫🇷 has essentially always pushed).

3/ Second, both endorse intergovernmentalism as an essential way of doing business in the EU. @akk sees it as a pillar on equal footing with the community method, @EmmanuelMacron wants the Council to have the last word wherever important things happen.

4/ This was already reflected in the D-F paper on industrial policy where they wanted to give the Council the last word on competition policy. If I was the @EU_Commission or the @Europarl_EN, I'd be worried about this kind of likemindedness of the two biggest members.

5/ Now, there are a number of differences on substance like on social policy or on climate policy and some provocations to the French side in @akk's text (cf. Strasbourg, UNSC seat). Yet, these texts are campaign tools - and a debate on policy substance might be a good thing.

6/ But there are two large open questions in @akk's text that deserve a closer look:
First, she formulates ambitions in areas where the @cdu has in the last decade not exactly been a standard-bearer of European progress.

7/ This goes for the "single market for banks", aka Banking Union, where her party for a long time did not even feel comfortable with putting a place the common backstop, let alone discuss common deposit insurance. I'm very curious whether this will change now.

8/ But this goes also for the question of putting the money where your mouth is. @akk says that the EU should fund innovation (labeled "future made in EU"). It also should promote equal living standards. But her party has so far been very skeptical about more joint spending.

9/Second,@akk says: "With regard to the Member States of Central and Eastern Europe, we must respect their approaches and their specific contribution to our common European history and culture. And yet there must be no doubt about the non-negotiable core of values and principles"

10/ This encapsulates in one sentence not only the Orban dilemma, but also the deeper question of differentiated integration in areas like Schengen/asylum, euro etc. Macron says e.g. Schengen and common asylum policy are two sides of the same coin (for those who want to be in).

11/ @akk says she agrees with Macron on Schengen. But respecting "their approaches" sounds a lot different and leaves the reader puzzled. In fact, how much the @cdu is really willing to move will in no small part hinge on the operationalisation of this ambiguous sentence.

12/ Finally my ceterum censeo: The Eurozone was absent from Macron's text. @akk just has this sentence on banking-union-in-disguise and one on debt mutualization (nobody wants that). This apparent armistice on Eurozone reform is dangerous. Because we still urgently need reform.