Germans have always been enthusiastic proponents of the EU, not least because they hoped that a European identity would help compensate for their damaged national identity. So, whenever it came to restructuring the EU, they always accepted a level of influence that was small relative to their country’s size.
德国人一直热切支持欧盟，这并不仅仅是因为他们希望欧洲身份可以帮助补偿受损的民族身份。因此，只要涉及欧盟重建，他们总是愿意接受相对小于其国家规模的影响力。尽管德国人口占欧盟的17%，但是它在欧盟议会中只有13%的投票权。在更为重要的部长理事会中德国只有8%的投票权。法国人口只占13%，但是有一样的投票权。