The End of Fatalism
Poland, Germany, and a Different Europe
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
For decades, the Polish view of Germany was fatalistic: Some believed that the two nations were ensnared in enmity. Others lamented Poland’s peripheral situation in Europe. Still others complained about the inequality of develop-ments that hindered cooperation. This fatalism is now passé. The Euro crisis, growing scepticism vis-à-vis the European Union, and the sputtering of the German-French motor show that the old logic of integration no longer applies, that old perspectives no longer work. This opens up the chance for Poland and Germany to act as a motor for a new “Europeanisation of Europe”. Possible fields of cooperation are economic and monetary policy, energy and environmental policy.
(Osteuropa 5-6/2011, pp. 7–16)