The shock claim on how Angela Merkel will treat the prospect of reform in the European Union in 2018 comes from a prestigous Harvard lecturer.
Yascha Mounk, an expert on German politics, told French broadcaster France24 that the political reversal of Merkel’s position on Europe will signal the demise of the ambitious reforms set out by Emmanuel Macron and Jean-Claude Juncker.
Mr Mounk cited the humiliating result in the September election and subsequent failure in coalition talks as the reason behind the EU U-turn.
This follows Mr Macron’s New Year speech this week, in which surprised commentators by rarely mentioning his prized EU ambitions.
Mr Mounk said this was a sign that Mr Macron understood what was going on in Germany and knew his EU reform plans were dead.
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The Harvard-based author poured cold water on the ambition in Berlin to make 2018 a year of European integration.
He explained: “Even if the grand coalition with the SPD forms, they will not be very energetic or hungry for bold reform in the EU.
“Merkel is on her last legs, she is losing authority in her own party. The coalition that comes to power will not be visionary in Europe, for sure.”
He added: “The new Government will be very low-key.
“Schulz did proclaim a United States of Europe but Merkel knows that’s one of the surest way to dissolve the union!
“The ways to pursue European integration is more fiscal union, more fiscal co-responsibility.
“There may be parts of the SPD that want that, small parts, but there are very large parts of Merkel’s CDU who will not go along with that.
“She would not be so foolish to go along with that since it may throw her party into division and push voters further to the right.
“Her party will want her to stop the integration drive.”