Poland

Quite a difficult friends

Politically just to nervous irritability prevails between Berlin and Warsaw. Germany is surprised by the national-conservative sounds of Poland – and of all places to 25. Anniversary of Treaty on good-Neighbourliness.

There it was again, the rant about the EU, “the difficulties (of Poland) with the West Europeans.” Pawel Szalamancha, the Minister of Finance in Warsaw, was in journey, as he was a few days before the 25. Birthday of the Treaty on good-Neighbourliness (17. June 1991) verbally and in a tone of voice mightily on the drum beat. No coincidence, since in the room no less than his counterpart from Germany, Wolfgang Schäuble sat. A European passion. And just a German. And it’s just hard when the Eastern neighbors. The history of the detuning goes back a year and a half.

January 2016: The new national-conservative government under the leadership of the PiS (law and justice) is fresh in the office, because there is a barrage of criticism – especially from German mouths. Because the PiS under Jaroslav Kaczynski ruled with an absolute majority, and uses the massive corrections, especially in the Polish Law and media policy. Martin Schulz, the President of the EU Parliament demands that Europe should “prevail with Power.” And he is clear: The new government is a “managed democracy according to Putin’s way”. Günter Oettinger, EU Commissioner for Digital economy and society wanted to make Poland even under the supervision. And Volker Kauder, parliamentary leader of the CDU/CSU, called for the same sanctions against the neighbors, in case of the Polish media will be threatened freedom.

Hour of the diplomats

There’s no question that the sparks flew. The German Ambassador was summoned to the Warsaw foreign Ministry. It was only an invitation, it was a little later. Also representatives of other EU have read States such as the Vice-President of the Commission Frans Timmermans, the Luxembourg foreign Minister, Jean Asselborn, or the former justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, the poles, due to their shift to the right of the Levites.

But the official Poland has reacted almost exclusively to representations of the arrogant current German. The Germans tried once again to dictate to the poles what is real freedom, the Minister of defense Antoni Macierewiczs answer to Schulz, Oettinger and Kauder. It is clear that Nothing annoys the Polish government is more than criticism from Germany.

Poland on the way to the re-nationalisation? Pro-PiS-Demonstration in December

Angela Merkel and her foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier hold back for months striking. However, a formulation of the foreign Minister, revealed already by the end of 2015 for the inaugural visit by his Polish counterpart, Witold Waszczykowski, the Polish-German relations, “a treasure that we must beware”, clear the alarm, the mood in the Federal government.

Since the PiS ruled Poland, in Berlin, the motto is: don’t provoke! The new Polish policy, which comes as a conservative-authoritarian counter-revolution, therefore, is, from a German point of view a real challenge. Because of the current Warsaw trail bears clear traits of a re-nationalisation, and therefore puts a strain on the EU in its core business.

25. Anniversary of the historic Treaty between Bonn (at that time) and Warsaw Adam Krzeminski was a fine formulation for the behavior of the German government against the new policy in Warsaw: “be steadfast in the cause, and supple in the dialogue,” says the publicist.

Something clearly was on the same event, Dieter Bingen, Director, German Poland Institute, the attested to the Federal government, “the sound of footsteps and Unfriendly” to the new Polish government has not reciprocated.

Poland’s Bitch List

And political, sometimes polemical barrage of Warsaw, there was plenty of it. Especially against the big Western neighbors. The massive criticism of the Polish government in Germany’s refugee policy is just one example. With Polish eyes, Nato acted much too cautious regarding Russia. And in the EU, the Germans are dominant, you can hear in Poland, everywhere.

Forget the time, in Germany and Poland paved the way to Nato and the EU. And when it comes to energy policy, Warsaw and the German-Russian Baltic sea Pipeline Nord stream passes over his interests. Even the “Weimar triangle,” a tri-national co-operation between France, Germany and Poland, playing since 1991, an important confidence-building role in the EU enlargement process is now cleaned up of the new Polish government as “run-down Format” down.

Difficult neighbors, the historic contract

In 1991, Germany and Poland sealed its historic neighbourhood Treaty, the political sky for both Nations literally full of violins. The German wall and the iron curtain had fallen, the United and democratic Germany had a Polish neighbor who was outside politically sovereign.

A new era had begun. In the 38 articles in the two States fixed the framework for future cooperation. For Poland, the obligation of the German, to lead the former Communist country into the EU was the main concern. The dream is now a reality, and yet, Europe has lost a strong fascination to the East of the Oder and Neisse rivers. Why?

The former Polish Prime Minister Krzysztof Bielecki (l) and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, on 17. In June 1991, in Bonn, Germany.

Political time-the slow point at the end of the EU-witnesses of the early 90s Depression, especially as a generation problem. The politically Active with war experience, full of idealism and sympathy for the European idea. The German-Polish reconciliation was the same. You gradually Die away and have taken the momentum out of the process of European unity, and also from the German-Polish relations.

The magic of the Beginning of a Ritual followed in the handling. And the signs continue to point to escalation, because if the British Europe should turn back, you will feel the poles are still a lot of uneasy in the EU. Nothing they fear more than a re-appreciation of the weight of the Germans in Brussels.