Home Page Roundtable discussion: "EU’s Next Decade: Visions from Germany and Poland"
Roundtable discussion: "EU’s Next Decade: Visions from Germany and Poland"
09.12.2019
With the new European Parliament and reshuffled European institutions, Member States are facing the challenge of defining a common agenda for the coming years. Circumstances are far from convenient: the global order is in crisis, the transatlantic community weakening, and the foundations of economic growth uncertain. Europe itself is grappling with the challenge of Brexit, Euroscepticism, and security threats along its eastern and southern borders. In this environment, close cooperation between Poland and Germany is especially needed. The question of how to forge a new community of interests between them should return to political considerations.

On Monday, December 9, the Polish Institute of International Affairs in cooperation with Stiftung Wissenschsaft und Politik and with the support of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung organized seminar EU’s Next Decade: Visions from Germany and Poland. Event was held at the PISM Warsaw Office.

The seminar was divided into three panels, focusing on the future of the European Union, opportunities and challenges for the European economy and security policy. The possibilities of using Polish and German cooperation for the development of the EU was the leitmotiv during all discussions.

In addition, to PISM and SWP analysts, the event was also attended by members of other research centres focusing on European policy, economy and security, as well as representatives of the Polish and German Foreign Ministries.

 

Programme

09:00 – 9:30       Registration

09:30 – 9:40       Opening

09:40 – 11:30    Panel I. The Future of the EU

Questions: How much of nation-state and community-level decision-making does the EU need to be an efficient organisation? What amount of differentiation or a unitarian approach in integration is needed? Is it possible to mutually enlarge and deepen the EU? What will be the impact of Brexit, not only on the EU but also on the entire system of integration and cooperation in Europe? How can greater convergence between the Polish and German views on the future of the EU be achieved?

  • Piotr Buras, Director, Warsaw Office of the European Council on Foreign Relations
  • Agnieszka Cianciara, Deputy Director, Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences
  • Tomasz Grzegorz Grosse, Professor, Institute of European Studies, University of Warsaw
  • Kai-Olaf Lang, Senior Research Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs
  • Monika Sus, Research Fellow, Hertie School

 

  • Moderator: Lidia Gibadło, Research Fellow, Polish Institute of International Affairs

11:30-11:45       Coffee break

11:45-13:15       Panel II. A Stronger European Economy

Questions: How to defend Europe’s interests and position in the global economy? Does the EU need a new industrial policy and its own economic “champions”, and how to reconcile this with the common market? How can eurozone’s governance be made more efficient? Can the division of the EU into eurozone-members and non-members become a challenge for economic cooperation between Poland and Germany?  

  • Ole Funke, Head of the Office of the State Secretary for Europe and Financial Markets, Federal Ministry of Finance, Germany
  • Krzysztof Bednarek, Deputy Director, EU Economic Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
  • Ignacy Morawski, Director, Spot Data
  • Paweł Tokarski, Senior Research Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs

 

  • Moderator: Sebastian Płóciennik, Head of the Weimar Triangle Programme, Polish Institute of International Affairs

13:15-14:00       Lunch

14:00-15:30       Panel III. European Security as a Common Endeavour

Questions: What are Poland’s and Germany’s approaches to the development of EU security and defence policy, transatlantic security cooperation, and NATO? Is it possible to develop a common and long-term-oriented agenda for Russia policy? Can the idea of “European autonomy” and a deepening of cooperation in the military-industrial sector strengthen relations between Poland and Germany?

  • Justyna Gotkowska, Head of the Programme ‘Security and Defence in Northern Europe’, Center for Eastern Studies
  • Martin Kremer, Head of Department for Central Europe, Visegrad Cooperation and the Weimar Triangle, German Federal Foreign Office
  • Łukasz Kulesa, Deputy Head of Research Office, Polish Institute of International Affairs
  • Eckhard Lübkemeier, Visiting Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs

 

  • Moderator: Kai–Olaf Lang, Senior Research Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs