German-Italian relations and EU crisis politics

A new e-book co-edited by Hertie School Professor Emeritus of Law and Society Christian Joerges explores the deepening social and economic asymmetries between Northern and Southern Europe, focusing on the relationship between Germany and Italy.  “Responses of European economic cultures to Europe's crisis politics: The example of German-Italian discrepancies” is a collaboration between the Hertie School and the University of Milan and was published in December 2018 by the European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in Florence.

The book is a collection of 26 papers co-edited by Joerges and Josef Hien, and is the result of a conference of the same name, held at Villa Vigoni in Loveno di Menaggio on 25 – 27 June 2018.  A further conference is planned as part of the ongoing dialogue on the subject.

Consolidating diverse cultures and economies under one roof has long been a challenge for the EU. In this book, the authors explore how the Eurozone crisis critically highlighted imbalances between the north and south, which have been present since the European Union’s inception. The recent rise of nationalist parties in Europe, such as  the AFD in Germany, the far-right populist Lega party and the left-leaning populist Movimento Cinque Stelle in Italy, has capitalised on antagonisms between Italy and Germany, despite the fact that both have traditionally been strong supporters of European integration. The authors say their aim is to provide answers to how this situation, previously thought implausible, came about.   

The study asks what the EU can do to enhance the mutual benefits of European diversity, rather than allow it to contribute to the disintegration of the EU.

The book is available as a PDF download here.