A new opening?

The German-Polish Roundtable annually invites experts to dive deep into Polish and German policies towards Eastern Europe, highlighting why a good cooperation between the countries is needed to effectively respond to the emerging challenges and opportunities in the region.

Together with our partners from the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe, the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation, as well as Austausch e.V and Zentrum Liberale Moderne - we decided to publish this collection of essays titled “A new opening? German-Polish cooperation and the war in Ukraine”. The contibutions stem from prominent German and Polish experts and provide decision makers with a sober and comprehensive assessment of developments concerning the war, German and Polish Eastern policies (Ostpolitik and Polityka wschodnia) and the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine.

The collection starts with Kai-Olaf Lang’s essay “Doomed to conflict or a marriage of convenience? The future of German and Polish Eastern Policies”. According to Lang, there is a huge chance for the strengthening of cooperation between Berlin and Warsaw in Eastern Europe. However, he believes that such a new togetherness is a possibility, not an inevitability. In his opinion, outlining the futures of German and Polish Eastern policies can help to avoid disappointment and improve chances for cooperation.

Stephen Bischoff, in his essay “The EU changed Ukraine, and now Ukraine is changing the EU”, shows that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine represents a fundamental challenge also to the EU. This is because it is targeting the democratic values of Euromaidan and the enlargement process.

The third article titled “Ukraine’s EU integration process: Providing a positive narrative”, written by Susan Stewart, highlights that despite serious challenges, Ukraine is managing to continue the process of EU integration during wartime. According to Stewart, political and societal actors in Poland and Germany can help to disseminate a positive narrative regarding Ukraine’s EU accession in order to keep up momentum on the EU side and ensure the necessary support for Ukraine in the upcoming years.

Adam Kobieracki, in his essay “Der Weg ist das Ziel. NATO-Ukraine Cooperation and Prospects for Ukraine’s Membership”, admits that the process of Ukraine’s integration with NATO will be a long and turbulent one that will have important implications for the international security environment even before its actual conclusion. He underlines that while this process carries on, it is imperative that the West, including Germany and Poland, continues its support and military aid for Kyiv.

Maciej Matysiak’s “The global war in Ukraine: the current state and possible scenarios”, presents the war in Ukraine as a de facto war for systemic domination between a democratic system composed of a coalition of countries that supports Kyiv and a dictatorial totalitarian system. Matysiak assumes that the war may end only if Russia is forced into it and has no other acceptable options. Despite this, the threat from Moscow will not disappear even after the conflict is over.

Finally, Agnieszka Legucka in “From Kremlin bots to Sputnik: Russian disinformation in the EU and the lessons for Poland and Germany”, analyses how Russia is adapting to EU blockades and restrictions by introducing new ways to target European societies with disinformation. In her opinion, the Kremlin is tailoring its manipulated message to specific audiences, including Germans and Poles. Moreover, the discreditation of Ukraine continues to be the most important theme of Russian disinformation.

This collection of essays is the outcome of the 5th German-Polish Round Table on Eastern Europe. Annually the roundtable gathers experts, diplomats, journalists, politicians and NGO activists from Germany, Poland and other countries. The main goal of the initiative is bringing closer the positions of Germany and Poland, reducing the differences between them and making them aware of common interests, while overcoming mutual distrust and stereotypes.