GERMANY IN THE EUROPEAN-UNION - GENTLE GIANT OR EMERGENT LEADER

The 1996 intergovernmental conference on the European Union will repre sent an important test of German influence in the European Union. The two preceding reforms-the Single European Act and the Maastricht treat y-were undertaken under different circumstances. The Single European A ct preceded German unification, whereas the Maastricht treaty negotiat ions were partly a response to German unification and the end of the C old War. The IGC negotiations will see the unified Germany operating i n a more typical set of circumstances. This article examines the Feder al Republic's role in European integration on the eve of the IGC. What are the limits and possibilities of German diplomacy in the EU? Is Ge rmany reluctant to use the various sources of influence at its disposa l Alternatively are there signs of Germany willingly acting as the dri ving force of European integration?(star)