Joschka Fischer is trying to invoke the spirit of the novelist, Thomas Mann, who in 1953 appealed to an audience of students in Hamburg to strive for "not a German Europe but a European Germany". Indeed, he fears a crack in the foundation of the European Union, after the - in his view - ominous "long night" on July 12-13, during which a third bailout for Greece was debated. He says, "since then, Europeans have been living in a different kind of EU", no longer embracing the "European project, which has been built on diversity and solidarity".

As one of the architects of the European Project, the post-war Germany had been "europeanised" in a positive sense. It is Europe's economic powerhouse and the continent's most populous country. It is highly efficient and civilised, a democracy based on the rule of law. Far from perfect, it has in the last two years topped the polls as the world's most popular country.

Until the Eurocrisis Germany did not seek leadership position within the Union. It focused on advancing the European project through a single currency. The Euro had turned out to be a success for the German economy, and Fischer saw Angela Merkel 's first decade in office as a "Biedermeier era", in which she sought "to maintain citizens' sense of wellbeing by not disturbing them with politics". The Greek bailout crisis took a toll on the EU leadership and the world looked for a helmsman to weather the storm. All eyes turned to Germany. In the past at the height of the crisis Fischer criticised Merkel for taking "small steps" and not showing enough leadership. She was reluctant to play the role, because she was aware of what her citizens felt about more German leadership, which "usually meant … not leadership but money".

Not only does Fischer reject a "German Europe", Wolfgang Schäuble too! He expressed it in an op-ed in the Guardian on July 19, 2013. This idea of a "German Europe" emerged in recent months during Greece's bailout crisis. Germany, which is the largest contributor to Greek rescue funds, has taken a tough line on Greece and earned a barrage of criticism. Schäuble and Merkel have little wiggle room for granting Greece a haircut, because their taxpayers' money would be at stake. However Merkel said, she was open to discussing reduced interest rates and extended maturity dates. Schäuble's proposal to Greece to "voluntarily" leave the Eurozone reflected also the sentiments of many in Europe. But Greece has opted for a "Yes" to Euro and to reforms, and Merkel welcomed this decision. Now, everybody should look forward and try to work things out together with Greece.