Germany, Poland hold consultations for first time since 2018 – DW – 07/02/2024

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Warsaw wanted its defense spending to be coordinated with that of other EU member states.

“Poland spends huge amounts of money on armaments,” Tusk said during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“I would like our efforts to be well coordinated with the efforts of other countries.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he is certain Berlin will maintain cooperation with Weimar Triangle counterparts France and Poland regardless of the outcome of France’s second round of parliamentary elections.

The Weimar Triangle regional alliance was created by Germany, France and Poland in 1991 and its importance has increased since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

“It is very important for us that we, as these three states, think together about the future of Europe,” Scholz said during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

“We are certain that, regardless of the outcome of the second round of the French elections, the cooperation between the French President (Emmanuel Macron) and Donald and myself will continue to be very good and that will also be the basis for our countries’ relations,” he said.

Macron called snap parliamentary elections after his party was defeated in EU parliament elections by the far-right National Rally party.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that there was “no doubt” that Poland and Germany will cooperate on bilateral initiatives and the European Sky Shield initative.

The German-initiated air defense system aims to bolster the NATO military alliance’s protective capacity over Europe.

Tusk said that Warsaw and Berlin would work together despite differences on how defense projects should be financed.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Poland and Germany should expand transport routes between the two countries, as this was also important for the military.

“They are a key issue, not only for economic development and for the mobility of citizens and residents from both countries, but also when it comes to military mobility, one of the prerequisites for ensuring common security,” Scholz said during his visit to Warsaw.

Berlin has announced its intention to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

A German-Polish action plan seen by the Reuters news agency said it aimed to reinforce the alliance along the eastern flank as well as provide additional assistance to Ukraine, including on repairing and maintaining Leopard 2 tanks.

“We will endeavour to ensure transatlantic political unity
and an optimal military presence of the North American allies in Europe, including the eastern flank,” the text said, according to Reuters.

Politicians from the opposition nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) criticized Prime Minister Donald Tusk for his meeting with Scholz, accusing the Polish leader of representing German interests.

The reactions were in response to a post by Tusk on the platform X, formerly Twitter, in which he said: “Today Europe needs strong leadership and a common position on security questions. Welcome to Warsaw, chancellor.”

PiS lawmaker and former Minister for European Affairs Szymon Szykowski vel Sek claimed that the post amounted to an admission that Tusk’s government supports “German leadership” of the EU.

“That honest about the expectation of strong German leadership in the EU? Still, it’s a surprise…” he said.

Piotr Muller, who served as a government spokesperson under former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and is currently a member of the EU parliament, echoed the comment in an X post.

“We thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for the moment of honesty. Although Poles had thus far not doubted that the leadership of Germany is the most important thing for you,” he said.

In the run up to the October 2023 parliamentary election PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski accused Tusk of being a “German agent” and claimed Berlin was aspiring to “global power” status.

The talks come as EU member states face increasing security challenges linked to the war in Ukraine.

Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung daily reported on Monday that Berlin would propose a package that will include support for supporting Poland’s eastern border.

Poland borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad as well as Moscow ally Belarus.

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marek Prawda told the Reuters news agency that Warsaw and Berlin would discuss increasing the EU’s military capabilities 

“Because we have a geopolitical turn in the world, the EU is no longer a factory of rules, but is becoming a community of fate, and we have to respond to this change with at least some policy of increasing military capabilities,” he said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been a vocal proponent of common EU financing for defense projects.

Today’s meeting on German-Polish consultations comes several months after the conservative nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) was ousted from government by a coalition of centrist and center-left parties in October 2023.

PiS had governed for eight years in a period characterized by heightened tensions with Brussels over the rule of law. Current Prime Minister Donald Tusk of the centrist Civic Coalition (PO) has pledged to cooperate with Brussels and has advocated for a “stronger and more sovereign” EU.

Poland’s government under PiS was vehemently apposed to EU plans to redistribute arriving refugees evenly throughout the bloc, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to assume joint responsability for the migrant issue.

PiS has also in the past made use of anti-German rhetoric in its electoral campaigns, with party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski labeling Tusk a “German agent.”

During Scholz’s visit, Germany is expected to present a financial package that could include compensation payments for living Polish victims of Nazi Germany’s occupation of Poland from 1939 to 1945.

Funds will also be provided to the German-Polish House in Berlin, which intends to commemorate the shared history of the two countries and create a remembrance for Polish victims of World War II.

Polish governments under both right-wing and centrist parties have long requested that Germany give Poland reparations for the Nazi occupation period. Berlin has argued that the matter was resolved in 1953, when Poland renounced claims against East Germany.

At the start of the year, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski renewed Warsaw’s calls for financial compensation from Germany for World War II loses. Poland’s claim was then reiterated by Prime Minister Donald Tusk during his first official visit to Berlin.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Warsaw for a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

These are the first government consultations between Germany and its eastern neighbor since 2018.

Scholz’s delegation included 12 federal and state ministers.

Germany and Poland are expected to agree upon an action plan including several joint projects.

sdi/fb (AFP, dpa, Reuters)