Poland and Germany are countries that are strongly dependent on each other, as confirmed by the numbers. Germany is Poland’s main trading partner, and Poland is in fourth place when it comes to importing German goods, even ahead of China. Germany is in first place among European countries in terms of the value of investments in Poland. The aforementioned dependencies were pointed out during the discussion “New Tandem? The role of Poland and Germany in a changing Europe” by Katarzyna Byczkowska, Managing Director of BASF Polska and President of the Polish-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
– It is very clear that we rely on each other and we have to cooperate – she emphasized. – The last few years have not been easy in terms of cooperation – I mean the discussion layer. However, from a business point of view, we have never had any problems doing business as a German company in Poland. Cooperation in terms of business has always been very good – assessed the Managing Director of BASF Polska.
As she added, Poland and Germany share many similarities, one of which is their extensive industry. Therefore, the common goal of both countries should be to protect this sector of the economy. Cooperation in this area could include preparing joint regulations, as is already the case with the chemical industry.
The chemical industry in Europe itself, indicated Katarzyna Byczkowska, is in crisis. Chemical production in Europe decreased by 12% in 2023 compared to the increases recorded in China, Russia and India. – Our common goal should be to remedy this situation – emphasized the Managing Director of BASF Polska.
– Business cooperation is the most valuable asset – noted Sebastian Płóciennik, director and board member of the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation. As he noted, economic stagnation in Germany poses a great threat not only to our cooperation, but also to the condition of the European economy.
– I would not link this solely to the processes taking place in Germany, but also to the prospects of the EU market. And here there is room for joint Polish-German initiatives. How to reform the EU single market? How to supplement it? How to abolish regulations in some areas? – said Sebastian Płóciennik.
From his point of view, equally important are the joint discussion about Ukraine, reflection on the future of globalization and defense issues.
The business perspective was presented by Stephan Schraff, Head of Public Affairs Bayer in the European Union. He emphasized that it is necessary to significantly increase investment in innovation.
“Over the last 20 years, our investment in research and development in the European Union has fallen by 25 percent. That’s a very significant decline. If we look at clinical trials, which are key in the pharmaceutical sector to measure the strength of research and development in a given region, we’ve also seen a decline,” he said.
Why is this happening? As Bayer’s Public Affairs chief explained, the European Union needs better cooperation and coordination when it comes to creating modern clusters for innovation. For example, biotechnological clusters are missing in Europe.
Another issue is regulation.
– We see that at the European level, a lot of regulations have been introduced that actually reduce the protection of intellectual property, and this is a key factor driving investment in the life sciences sector, noted Stephan Schraff.
During the debate, Jörg Steinbach, Minister of Economy, Labour and Energy of Brandenburg, and Andrzej Szejna, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, spoke about the Polish-German tandem from the perspective of politicians.
The representative of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed to the role of the events in Ukraine.
– This war is very close to the Polish borders. This is our common war. Of course, there is a NATO strategy, a NATO policy, our common policy. But we cannot avoid not only thinking, but also acting. I believe that the common goal of Poland and Germany is to stop this conflict. Stop it as soon as possible. Otherwise, we will not be able to focus on all the topics we have raised – he said.
As he noted, if Poland is in danger, then Germany is as well.
– Returning to business, I think politicians should not interfere too much. Business between Poland and Germany works very well – added Andrzej Szejna.
Jörg Steinbach spoke in a similar spirit, referring to the results of the recent regional elections in Germany, which ended in a victory for the far-right AfD party (30 percent support).
– I am convinced that 70 percent of German society still knows what is happening, has the right attitude and knows that we must stand by your side if the threat from Russia turns towards Poland – he emphasized.
He also appealed to businesses to be moderate in their criticism of the European Union, given that criticism of Brussels is political fuel for parties such as the AfD.
“Their idea of ’dexit’ (Germany leaving the European Union) would be a total disaster. But if we all say that whatever comes from Brussels in the form of legislation or other actions is bad, then in reality it will favor this group. So please, let’s always try to balance the benefits of the European Union,” said the Brandenburg Minister of Economic Affairs, Labor and Energy.
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