Since the original enlargement of the European Union, the Franco-German alliance has increasingly lost influence. As a result of the influx of new member states, the strategic level of policy-making, which determines the future of European integration, is increasingly dominated by a multiplicity of flexible working partnerships between the larger EU member states. Within this group, Britain and Germany have both undergone significant changes regarding their approach towards major European policy areas since the late 1990s.

This book details these changes which have been characteristic of a process of normalization in both countries. The author examines possible areas for cooperation between Britain and Germany on major European issues and the potential significance that such a working partnership could have for the future of the enlarged European Union.

'The excellent study deserves a broad audience among all academics and students as well as laymen who are interested in British-German politics.' - German Politics

Introduction: Britain and Germany in the European Union of the 21st Century
The Reluctant European: Britain and European Integration since 1945
Germany's European Policy Before and After Reunification
Areas for British-German Cooperation
Outlook: The significance of British-German Cooperation for the Future of the EU

CHRISTIAN SCHWEIGER is Lecturer in Government in the School of Government and International Affairs at the University of Durham. His main research interests are bilateral relations, EU enlargement and reform, economic globalization and transatlantic security relations. His publications include The Role of the Modell Deutschland in the Enlarged European Union and British-German Relations after the War on Iraq.