Germany, insist the Serbs and the Macedonians - instigated the
breakdown of the Yugoslav Federation to establish a subservient
Croatia. Wasn't Slobodan Milosevic, the Serb dictator, ousted in favor
of the German-educated Zoran Djindjic? - they exclaim triumphantly.
Germany is reasserting itself. United, it is the largest country in
Europe and one of the richest. Its forces are keeping the fragile peace
in Balkan hot spots, like Macedonia. It will contribute to the EU's
long-heralded rapid reaction force. It owns the bulk of the, frequently
overdue, sovereign debts of Russia, Ukraine and other east European
countries.
One tenth of Germany's trade is with the candidate countries, a
turnover comparable to its exchange with the United States. German
goods constitute two fifths of all EU trade with the new members.
Germans are the largest foreign direct investors throughout the region
- from Hungary to Croatia. German banks compete with German-owned
Austrian banks over control of the region's fledgling financial sector.
The study of German as a second or third language has surged.
Last year alone, German corporations plunged $3.6 billion into the
economies of the acceding countries. German multinationals like
Volkswagen and Siemens employ almost 400,000 people in central Europe -
for one tenth to one eighth their cost in the fatherland.
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