Poland, Germany and the EU

Abstract

The eastward enlargement of the European Union may well be the biggest challenge in the history of European integration. It is, however, accompanied by profound internal and external crises highlighted by the EU’s difficulties in coping with the effects of economic globalization, of which the most obvious are high unemployment and a growing scepticism with regard to integration. This article argues that the solutions to both these challenges are deeply interconnected: while enlargement is a strategic necessity in its own right, it is also the only factor galvanizing EU member states into action for the reforms which are inevitable if the integration project is to be kept afloat. As the new democracies of central and eastern Europe prepare for EU membership and the EU prepares for enlargement, Poland and Germany can reflect on the past eight years of a historically unprecedented improvement in their relationship. Bringing Poland into the EU (as well as into NATO) has become a key item in the Polish‐German ’community of interest’.

Diverse but Converging Paths to European Union Membership: Poland and Turkey in Comparative Perspective

“…The geopolitical aspect is also important because enlargement will bring Germany from the periphery of the West closer to its center, and with Poland as a member of the EU, Germany's eastern border will cease to the frontier between stability and instability. 58 Also for historical reasons, the German elite felt itself in some way obliged to improve the lot of Poland and its people. 59 …”

Power, Security and the Past: Polish-German Relations in the Context of EU and NATO Enlargements

“…On the other hand, should the process fail, it is unlikely that the prominence of German business in the region would grow further. 18 …”