Long before the coronavirus struck, signs were already there that Germany would, at some point, start pushing for more financial and economic integration in Europe.
Last autumn, Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann surprised many by saying that the 'black zero' - the German political commitment to a balanced budget – "shouldn't become a fetish".
Then German finance minister Olaf Scholz declared he was willing to negotiate a European deposit guarantee and a eurozone budget.
Isa...
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Caroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. This article was adapted from one of her columns in NRC.