Commentary
Politics
Unlocked
This Polish-German Border Community Still Believes In The European Miracle – LONG READ
3 October 2025
The democratic decline of some EU members has by now matured into a mainstream challenge to the rules at the heart of European integration.
Recent events, like the suspension of the Social Democratic Party of Romania from the Party of European Socialists due to the controversial justice reform in Romania or the suspension of Hungary’s governing party, Fidesz, from the European People’s Party due to the party’s overt shift toward authoritarianism in the past years and straightforward attacks on European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, demonstrate the rising tensions and conflicts generated by the outright violations of European values.
The democratic decline in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) raises questions regarding the normative responsibility of EU institutions and member states to safeguard democratic values, and beyond this it is also a geopolitical problem, in particular for Germany.
CEE forms the direct geopolitical neighborhood of Germany, and until the accession of these countries to the European Union German foreign policy invested enormous resources in the region to guarantee its geopolitical stability.