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Abstract

The ongoing euro crisis and its management have, in recent years, shed fresh light upon the debate surrounding the significance of Franco-German relations to European economic integration. With the single currency engulfed in apparent never-ending instability, two questions dominate the agenda of contemporary analysis: how did we get here? And what happens next? This dissertation does not attempt to answer the latter. As the title suggests, this dissertation does, however, critically examine the motivations behind the intensification of Franco-German economic integration in Europe during the Mitterrand-Kohl era; the result of which was the establishment of EMU. By evaluating key events and scrutinising major theoretical analyses, this dissertation determines that both Kohl and Mitterrand were driven by national interests, domestic pressures and a shared sense of European vision, all of which were exercised within an increasingly strict set of operational parameters that encouraged further European economic integration between the two nations. Moreover, this dissertation also establishes that the primary consequence of the integrationist economic agenda pursued by Mitterrand and Kohl from 1982-1995 has been an ongoing attempt by a German-led Franco-German partnership to retrospectively refashion the economic governance model of the Euro Area; a task performed by integrating the European economy yet further with the creation of fiscal institutions such as the European Stability Mechanism and, in recent months, the Single Resolution Mechanism.

Course: Combined Modern Languages - BA (Hons) - C1492

Date Deposited: 2019-12-11

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13516.html