Germany in the European Union: Gentle giant or emergent leader?

The 1996 intergovernmental conference on the European Union will represent an important test of German influence in the European Union. The two preceding reforms-the Single European Act and the Maastricht treaty-were undertaken under different circumstances. The Single European Act preceded German unification, whereas the Maastricht treaty negotiations were partly a response to German unification and the end of the Cold War. The IGC negotiations will see the unified Germany operating in a more typical set of circumstances. This article examines the Federal 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 Germany reluctant to use the various sources of influence at its disposal Alternatively are there signs of Germany willingly acting as the driving force of European integration?(star)