TY - JOUR

T1 - One step forward, two steps back

T2 - the ambiguous role of Germany in EU Asylum policies

AU - Zaun, Natascha

AU - Ripoll Servent, Ariadna

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Drawing on the Core State Power framework, this paper assesses Germany’s ambiguous role in EU asylum policies from signing of the Maastricht Treaty to the present. It demonstrates that Germany has neither taken on the role of a leader nor pursued any consistent course regarding the institutional setup or content of EU asylum policies. However, this does not mean that Germany does not have any preferences in this area. Overall, German governments have supported whatever policy would decrease the country’s share of asylum-seekers vis-à-vis other European countries, in order to achieve two core goals: first, to avoid the material costs resulting from high numbers of asylum-seekers, a preference that is common among state elites; and second, to avoid audience/electoral costs resulting from the comparatively restrictive preferences of the public, especially when these are mobilised by right-wing populist parties.

AB - Drawing on the Core State Power framework, this paper assesses Germany’s ambiguous role in EU asylum policies from signing of the Maastricht Treaty to the present. It demonstrates that Germany has neither taken on the role of a leader nor pursued any consistent course regarding the institutional setup or content of EU asylum policies. However, this does not mean that Germany does not have any preferences in this area. Overall, German governments have supported whatever policy would decrease the country’s share of asylum-seekers vis-à-vis other European countries, in order to achieve two core goals: first, to avoid the material costs resulting from high numbers of asylum-seekers, a preference that is common among state elites; and second, to avoid audience/electoral costs resulting from the comparatively restrictive preferences of the public, especially when these are mobilised by right-wing populist parties.

KW - Asylum policies

KW - core State Powers

KW - Germany

KW - leadership

KW - Politics

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101656241&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/07036337.2021.1877692

DO - 10.1080/07036337.2021.1877692

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85101656241

VL - 43

SP - 157

EP - 174

JO - Journal of European Integration

JF - Journal of European Integration

SN - 0703-6337

IS - 2

ER -