35 years of a unified Germany in the EU: From Iron Curtain to integration challenge​​

Thirty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Europe stands at a crossroads. Once a driving force behind European unity, Germany now faces questions about its role in the EU’s future. While the Maastricht Treaty and the expansion of the EU in the 1990s and early 2000s marked a period of rapid integration, recent years have seen a notable slowdown. Economic challenges, political divergences, and the rise of Euroscepticism are testing the union’s cohesion. Traditionally, the Franco-German alliance has propelled Europe forward, but today, Germany’s cautious stance and the growing influence of far-right political forces raise critical questions about the direction of European integration.