On October 3 twenty-two years ago Germany, supported by France and the United States, obtained to be able to return united under the colors of a single flag, those of the Federal Republic. The step in this direction, strongly desired by the then Christian Democrat Chancellor Helmut Kohl, turned out to be, a few years later, the price that Berlin, more or less consciously, had paid for the creation of an economic and monetary union with a central bank different (albeit modeled after) the Bundesbank and, ultimately, due to the abandonment of the much-loved mark. October 3, 1990 was certainly a German holiday. Over the years, however, it has increasingly taken on the value of a European celebration.
Without that step, of course, there probably would not have been monetary integration. But with that step, remember now someone inside and outside Germany, the foundations for an unbalanced integration have also been strengthened, with fixed exchange rates, a single interest rate, uneven economic policies, free movement of capital etc. If the premises are true, then it must be admitted that for at least two years, thanks to the explosion of the crisis in the Eurozone, celebrating German reunification has taken on a bittersweet flavour, to say the least; a flavor which, in Germany, is potentially capable of arousing revanchist sentiments. To avoid which, on the twenty-second anniversary of that event, the ruling class of the reunified Federal Republic wanted to make it clear, once again, that deeper European integration is in the German interest. As if to say, it is not true that it was a rash step to abandon the mark, it was rather rash not to proceed immediately, or at least faster, towards political and economic integration. And that mistake, the German politicians who succeeded one another on the podium of the official event held this year in Bavaria seem to recall, we (only) did not make it. France, in particular, didn't want to go any further and the Mediterranean countries insisted on being admitted to the club at all costs, even if they didn't deserve it.
Whatever the faults of the 90s, the German political class now seems to want to remedy the flaws in the European economic architecture. But the remedy, they explain in Berlin, this time will be entirely German and the others will have to follow: political union, fiscal union, but only with strong control powers, limitations on the freedom to transport capital abroad and the transfer of important pieces of sovereignty. The party that is supposed to celebrate German sovereignty actually reminds the rest of Europe of the sacrifice Germany made more than twenty years ago and confronts the countries of the Euro area with reality. After suffering the pains of hell in the first few years after the introduction of the euro, Germany can now not afford double-digit unemployment again. nor can it afford to inherit so many small East Germanies to be rehabilitated, nor, again, does it want to end up straight into a real estate bubble like the one experienced in Ireland and Spain in recent years. This Italy, Spain and France must have in mind.
And the anniversary of the reunification is there to remember it. We have already given, we have made the sacrifices to achieve our dream, we are not willing to fight (losing more money) for a Europe that few seem to want, the German politicians seem to want to say, recalling that October XNUMX twenty-two years ago. At the time, German citizens wanted reunification from the depths of their souls and were ready to obtain it at all costs. Beyond Mario Draghi's jokes, it cannot be said that the European electorate today has such clear ideas.
