Consolidating the Weimar Triangle: European Policy Functions of German-Polish-French Co-operation

Abstract:

Twenty years have passed since the launch of the Weimar Triangle. Yet apart from a number of glitzy summits, the German, Polish and French co-operation can hardly be considered as having played an influential role in European politics.

Nonetheless, trilateral collaboration could certainly take on a number of useful functions in the EU, providing the community with urgently needed capacities such as leadership, consensus building or strategic guidance. In times of crises and turmoil it is certainly the pressing challenges of economic and financial policy where joint Weimar initiatives could be profitable for the EU.

But the trio could also play its part in European security and defence policy, one of the few areas, where the Triangle is beginning to produce results, or neighbourhood and energy policy, where current strategies are in need of reassessment. If co-operation between Germany, France and Poland is to become more consistent, trilateral consultational structures will have to be strengthened.