Poland and Germany in the European Union: The Multidimensional Dynamics of Bilateral Relations

by Elzbieta Opilowska (Editor), Monika Sus (Editor)

Overview

This book explores the political and social dynamics of the bilateral relations between Germany and Poland at the national and subnational levels, taking into account the supranational dynamics, across such different policy areas as trade, foreign and security policy, energy, fiscal issues, health and social policy, migration and local governance.

By studying the impact of the three explanatory categories – the historical legacy, interdependence and asymmetry – on the bilateral relationship, the book explores the patterns of cooperation and identifies the driving forces and hindering factors of the bilateral relationship. Covering the Polish–German relationship since 2004, it demonstrates, in a systematic way, that it does not qualify as embedded bilateralism. The relationship remains historically burdened and asymmetric, and thus it is not resilient to crises.

This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of European and EU Politics, German politics, East/Central European Politics, borderlands studies, and more broadly, for international relations, history and sociology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367495619
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/09/2023
Series:	Routledge Advances in European Politics
Pages:	334
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Elżbieta Opiłowska is Associate Professor of Sociology and Head of the Centre for Regional and Borderlands Studies at the Institute of Sociology of the University of Wrocław, Poland.

Monika Sus is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland, and a fellow at the Center for International Security at the Hertie School, Berlin, Germany.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Poland and Germany in the European Union: Multi-dimensional dynamics of bilateral relations Part 1. Conceptual ideas 1. Bilateralism within the European Union: Examining the explanatory power of horizontal Europeanisation and interdependence 2. Back in Fashion? The resurgence of bilateral diplomacy in Europe 3. Asymmetric Bilateralism and the Struggle over Status in the EU Field of Power 4. The Category of National Neighbourship as a Complement to the Concept of Embedded Bilateralism: The Polish–German case Part 2: Bilateral relations at the supranational, intergovernmental and subnational levels: Case studies 5. Polish–German Cooperation in Security and Defence: Falling short of potential or doomed to be fragile? 6. Poland’s Reserved approach to the Euro: Does Germany matter? 7. (A)symmetry in Economic Relations? German–Polish integration in the EU single market 8. Migration: An axis of dispute or a potential point of enhanced cooperation? 9. Untapped Horizons and Prevailing Domestic Beliefs: Bilateral climate and energy relations from a Polish perspective 10. Explaining the Mutual Perceptions of Poles and Germans in the Light of the Polish–German Barometer 11. Determinants of the Cross-border Cooperation in the Polish–German Borderland 12. Bilateral Relations at the Subnational Level: Transborder cooperation networks in the Polish–German borderlands 13. German–Polish Bilateralism at the Local and Regional levels: The case of the Interreg Programme 14. The Dynamics of Economic Development in the Polish–German Border Region: The Example of the State of Brandenburg and the Lubuskie Voivodeship 15. The Difficult Case of Healthcare Cooperation Across Borders: German–Polish bilateral arrangements in the light of Previous European borderland experiences. Conclusions