The EU compromise machine is breaking — and everyone’s blaming Germany

Berlin’s domestic spats are gumming up the EU’s delicate policymaking process.

EU policymaking is going off the rails as the election nears.

The main culprit? Germany’s partisan feuds.

From the outside, Brussels’ lawmaking can seem overly procedural and institutionalized. But in recent weeks, drama has riven the EU institutions, with capitals unexpectedly challenging several deals — thought to be settled — at the last minute. And Berlin’s at the center of it all.

Germany is run by a three-party coalition — the center-left Social Democrats, the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats. The trio is frequently at odds over everything from military aid for Ukraine, to boosting the economy and curbing soaring energy prices.

The domestic fighting is now increasingly hijacking Brussels. Berlin’s government has had to stall or spike deals at the last minute after failing to maintain a single stance on key agreements — despite previously helping negotiate them. And the Free Democratic Party (FDP), the coalition’s smallest party, is often the one playing spoiler, searching for a political jolt as it slides toward polling irrelevance.