“German-Polish relations are not called into question in Poland. Hopefully not in Germany either”
Poland’s Secretary of State Krzysztof Szczerski stressed the importance of German-Polish and European cooperation on his visit to the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), yet added that respect and the recognition of mutual values was key to any bilateral and international dialogue.
Szczerski, head of President Andrzej Duda’s cabinet, was speaking at the Discussion Group on Poland held jointly by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation on the premises of the DGAP in Berlin. More than 150 representatives from the world of politics, business, the media, and the public attended the event, which was chaired by Markus Meckel, head of the Poland Forum.
The debate took place as the Duda government faces increasing controversy about the rule of law in Poland, the country’s role within the European Union, as well as bilateral issues such as Polish demands for World War II reparations from Germany. Only hours earlier, the EU Commission had announced it would launch the second phase of treaty violation proceedings calling on Poland to halt its controversial judicial reforms. Meanwhile, the Polish parliament has also fueled debates in Germany after presenting a legal study supporting Polish claims to repatriations of up to 840 billion euros from Germany. Germany considers Poland an important political partner in Europe.
“No comparison with Erdogan, please!”
“How are we to speak with each other if Poland is being accused of turning into another ‘Erdogan’ regime at the same time?,” the minister responded to criticisms from the audience pointing to Poland’s controversial media policies and judicial reforms as well as anti-European tendencies.
“German-Polish relations are not called into question in Poland,” said Szczerski. “Hopefully not in Germany either,” he added. As an elected body, the Polish government holds a democratic mandate, he stressed. “It’s up to the Poles to decide. If democracy calls for it, there will be a change in power in 2019.” While responsible not to give in to “the strained atmosphere of the general public,” the political arena was also separate from it.
“Poland is the boundary of international law”
Germany and Poland should seek agreement on shared issues, Szczerski said. The transatlantic alliance ranked first in this regard. “The European Union cannot replace NATO,” he said. “Poland is the European Union’s easternmost secure border. We are the boundary of international law.” Sanctions against Russia were the only legal response available to the EU. The return of international law to Eastern Europe was essential to providing lasting security in Europe as a whole. It was up to Germany and Poland to work closely together on this issue.
Szczerski warned against taking a hierarchical view of the “two-speed European Union” in which different countries were integrated at different speeds. The fast integration of the bloc presented problems. In particular, the eurozone should not be integrated at the expense of the EU members outside the eurozone. The Three Seas Initiative – which Szczerski co-founded in 2016 – was not directed against the EU or the Weimar Triangle, he said. Instead, its aim was to foster dialogue on shared economic and energy issues among the 12 Central and Eastern European countries.
Szczerski called for more sensitivity in the current controversy over cheap labor provided by Polish workers in EU countries outside Poland. It was populist to speak of “social dumping” in this regard, he said.
Reparations claims: “We need to assess German and Polish expert reports”
Asked about the Polish parliament’s legal study calling for WWII reparations from Germany, Szczerski said: “No official claims for reparations have been made to date.” The parliamentary report would now have to be “brought together” with Germany’s expert report on the matter. Both reports would now be assessed.
He emphasized that the debate on reparations was “not about German crimes in Poland in general but about specific crimes against specific people in specific situations.” As such, the debate had historical and moral dimensions. At stake were values rather than political issues, he said.
“The refugee crisis needs to be tackled in the countries of origin”
Szczerski called for an EU security policy that effectively protects EU citizens and aims to repatriate refugees. The refugee crisis needed to be tackled with political measures primarily outside of the EU, in the refugees’ countries of origin.
The Discussion Group on Poland is a joint project by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation. Launched more than thirty years ago, it fosters exchange on topical bilateral and European issues.
The event was organized by the DGAP’s Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia.
