Macmillan Jones - German PM to Travel to Poland to Discuss EU Unity
Macmillan Jones says Merkel will emphasize Germany's allegiance to Poland in a high-stakes meeting in Warsaw this week
TAIPEI, Taiwan, March 20, 2018 (Newswire.com) - When German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with Polish officials, she will stress the importance of bilateral ties and the need for European unity, say analysts at Macmillan Jones.
Merkel will be using her second foreign trip since she was sworn in for a fourth term to meet with President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. She will emphasize Germany’s commitment to Poland amid tensions between the United States and Russia.
Merkel will need to assure Poland of Germany’s commitment to NATO’s military spending targets without alienating the core principles of the EU, which have been challenged by Poland’s widespread judicial reform.
Macmillan Jones analysts say there is a lot at stake for the meeting between Merkel and Polish officials, with worries that growing popularity of anti-migrant parties in Italy and Austria could worsen tensions between Brussels and Poland.
The two sides have a lot to discuss with the North Stream 2 gas pipeline as well as the future of the European Union being top of the agenda. The pipeline will transport gas from Russia to Germany without moving through the Ukraine. The pipeline has already received the go-ahead from Germany but Poland has called for Western sanctions to be imposed on it.
A spokesperson for the Polish government stated that the country was hoping for good cooperation with Germany.
Macmillan Jones analysts say Merkel’s trip demonstrates that Germany cares about a good relationship with Poland. Relations between Germany and Poland have become tense since the nationalist conservative Law and Justice Party came to power three years ago with Germany rejecting the idea of German war reparations.
Source: Macmillan Jones