Polska i Niemcy w Unii Europejskiej – możliwości i bariery współpracy

Polish presidency of the European Union 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 coalition PO-PSL. 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 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 two-speed economy; unfavorable situation in Eastern Europe viz. lack of progress in the democratization of Belarus and of clearly pro-EU orientation of Ukraine accompanied by regress in democratization of this country; a tendency on the part of France and Great Britain to individually reinforce their military role within the EU.