Trudny dialog. Polsko-niemiecka wspólnota interesów w zjednoczonej Europie

Ten years after the signing of the treaty on good neighbourhood and friendly co-operation between Poland and Germany an attempt can be made to evaluate the present state of the 'Polish-German community of interests'. The balance of achievements and deficits has been prepared by practising politicians and academic theoreticians. Following the euphoria and optimism of the beginning of the 1990s time has come to more realistically look at the mutual relations, seen in a wider perspective of the EU integration and enlargement process or the creation of the new security architecture in Europe. Nine authors from Germany and Poland write about political, sociological and military aspects of these processes. The first part addresses the political problems and contains a diagnosis of the Polish-German relations and an attempt at outlining prospects for their future development. Poland's expectations have been discussed (Germany is seen as a promoter of new member states in the enlarged European Union). The authors also speak in favour of Poland's participation in the shaping of the Union's Ostpolitik. A critical balance of the last decade has been made and reasons for the deficits in the Polish-German relations have been pointed out. The second part describes the European conditions of Polish-German relations in light of the EU enlargement decision. Mechanisms of deepened co-operation have been considered the only possible solution to the problems that the European Union of 30 states may face. The role of the German-French co-operation in Poland's accession to the European Union has been defined. A spectrum of opinions expressed by the Polish society about the expected membership in the European Union has been presented. The third part deals with the problems of European architecture of security and expectations connected with it, voiced in both countries by political elites.