Poland and Germany in the European Union: Cooperation Opportunities and Barriers
Poland and Germany in the European Union: Cooperation Opportunities and Barriers

Summary/Abstract: The Polish Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2011 was determined by the context of relations with Germany. Poland’s significance to Germany as a valuable and important EU partner was perceptible in the friendly declarations of Merkel’s government. One of the crucial elements of this encouraging atmosphere was the pro-European attitude of the Polish public opinion and the ruling PO-PSL coalition. Poland relied on Germany’s support to engage in closer cooperation on the EU arena and possibly even create EU policy in certain areas. However, during the EU Presidency, Poland’s significance for Germany was limited by the following factors: Poland stays outside the Eurozone; Germany prefers close cooperation with France at the expense of Poland’s postulates on participation in shaping remedial measures within the Eurozone; divisions within the EU and the emergence of a twospeed economy; unfavourable situation in Eastern Europe viz. lack of progress in the democratisation of Belarus and of clearly pro-EU orientation of Ukraine accompanied by regress in democratisation of this country; a tendency on the part of France and the UK to individually reinforce their military role within the EU.

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