The Deafening Silence of Poland in Europe

Poland’s political debate pushes Europe’s future aside. Without it Warsaw backslides on current EU integration formats and misses its leadership window in Europe’s new political architecture. Could the whole of the Tusk Cabinet eschew reactive European policy and express more of a strategic ambition in the EU MFF and European Security Strategy talks?

In the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European politicians are giving up on the academic debates on further integration and the functioning of the EU. They are concentrating instead on strengthening bilateral contacts, signing mutual defence agreements and seeking new alliances in case of an attack by Russia. Producing and buying weapons and strengthening internal security are now the main priorities of EU governments.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government in Germany has been particularly active. It has signed far-reaching military cooperation agreements with France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. The strategic document on cooperation between Germany and Ukraine contains many provisions on joint arms production. Financing will probably come from the option of mobilising unused funds from the EU’s SAFE defence modernisation programme.

Berlin has become the main coordinator of cooperation with France and the United Kingdom in the E3 group, which is now the most important European partner for talks with Ukraine and the US in the context of Russia’s ongoing war.