No. 152 - Poland and Germany – Opportunities and Limitations for a Partnership within the European Union

‘Institute for Western Affairs' Bulletin (No.152/2013): Prof. Krzysztof Malinowski, Poland and Germany – Opportunities and Limitations for a Partnership within the European Union

A closer partnership between Poland and Germany in the European Union will be difficult to establish. The Polish political elites have been circumspect on the issue. They have proposed no broad-based critical ideas on how best to adjust Polish politics to Germany's new line. While the approach adopted by Chancellor Merkel may strengthen the eurozone and bolster Germany's leadership in the EU, it may also further divide the Union and further complicate the politics that surround Poland's accession to the eurozone. The fact that Polish ideas about German intentions to revamp EU architecture are incompatible with reality and that Poland's position on changing the configuration of forces within the EU remains ambiguous, make it considerably more difficult to form a strategic partnership.