By Monika Sus
Following Merkel’s departure, the already complicated relationship between Germany and Poland is bound to become even more fraught. Disagreements over the rule of law, Nord Stream 2, climate policies, and the EU’s future will prevent any strategic alignment between Berlin and Warsaw at the EU level – yet circumstances condemn the two neighbours to work together.
Polish-German relations are certainly not at their best. In addition to the struggle over the rule of law, differences on the functioning of the European Union and the future of European integration have been dividing the neighbours. Poland’s perception of German EU policy could be summed up using a once famous Facebook status: it’s complicated. And with the new German government, the complications are likely to mount.
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Read the full commentary here.
Monika Sus is Associate Professor at the Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw & Fellow at the Centre for International Security, Hertie School, Berlin & Visiting fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre, Florence. The author wished to acknowledge the support of the German-Polish Science Foundation (DPWS).
The European Policy Centre continues to contribute to the analysis of Germany’s EU policy at this pivotal moment in German politics, with a series of Commentaries running from July 2021 to January 2022. It will feature views from various European capitals on post-Merkel expectations.
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