Latest news with #Franco-Polish
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Return of Europe's Great(ish) Powers
On May 9, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met in the French city of Nancy to sign a Franco-Polish friendship treaty. The agreement envisions wide-ranging economic and technological cooperation, such as on civilian nuclear power, and coordination in various policy areas from migration to infrastructure and defense. The Franco-Polish rapprochement is interesting in itself, as Macron has for several years worked hard to mend France's ties with eastern Europe. But, more importantly, the two countries' cooperation is part of a more fundamental development within Europe: the return of the big European powers. Over the last few years, with Russia's war against Ukraine and the breakdown of the transatlantic relationship under U.S. President Donald Trump, the bigger European countries have multiplied their joint actions. France, Germany, the U.K. and, increasingly, Poland, are stepping up—a development which might simultaneously be a curse and blessing for the smaller European nations. In addition to the Nancy Treaty, there is the British-German Trinity House agreement on defense, signed last year, which the current governments in Berlin and London plan to extend into a full friendship treaty. In 2019, Europe's core couple, France and Germany, renewed the Elysee Treaty from 1963 with the Treaty of Aachen. Later this year, France and the U.K. are set to renew their Lancaster House treaties, and the U.K. is also in discussions with Poland to launch a new bilateral defense treaty. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. But there is more to this trend than just a rise in bilateral treaties among the main powers. In the context of the war against Ukraine, the leaders of the big European nations have played an important diplomatic role. Earlier this month, Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Tusk travelled to Kyiv for what was called the 'coalition of the willing' summit. After decades during which Europeans aimed to build up the geopolitical EU, it appears that the big European powers are back as main players in geopolitics. And as the big European countries are becoming more important, the EU as an actor diminishes. Of course, these cooperations neither explicitly nor implicitly aim to sideline the EU—there is no such plot. In fact, the Nancy treaty includes a section on cooperation within the EU, and the Treaty of Aachen notes that the cooperation between France and Germany aims to strengthen the EU. And the U.K.'s recently concluded agreement with the EU was celebrated as a reset of relations, 10 years after Brexit. Still, it is striking how much more the big powers are looking toward each other to deal with the geopolitical challenges of the moment, having largely abandoned the aim of making the EU the prime European foreign policy representative. In at least one aspect, the bilateral treaties weaken the EU – and arguably NATO. Namely, through the creation of new security guarantees. The Aachen treaty notes that France and Germany 'shall afford one another any means of assistance or aid within their power, including military force, in the event of an armed attack on their territories,' while the Nancy treaty stipulates that 'in the event of armed aggression on their territories, the Parties shall assist each other, including by military means.' Although there is nothing wrong with these clauses per se, they raise the question of why they exist at all. After all, NATO's Article 5 and the EU's Article 42.7 already stipulate the same assurances. And while the treaties acknowledge these clauses, one is left to wonder whether the extra assurances indicate—or create—a doubt that Articles 5 and 42.7 are not sufficiently reliable after all. That Europe's great(ish) powers are becoming more relevant again feels in line with the times. Trump's vision of the world, in which big powers dominate their spheres of influence, has aptly been called a throwback to the 19th century. A return of Europe's powers fits with this new, old world. For smaller European states, this might be a curse and blessing in equal measure. On the one hand, their say within the EU will become less relevant if the EU is less of a relevant actor. On the other hand, less will be expected from them in terms of foreign policy, something many European governments might be perfectly happy with, given the more than sufficient demands of domestic politics, from the green transition to demographic changes and migration. The question is what this means for Europe's overall geopolitical power. One can lament that the EU hasn't become the unifying geopolitical actor many people hoped it would be (though one should not dismiss its role in the realm of sanctions and trade). But in the absence of a unified EU power, a working alliance of the big three, four, or five European nations could be a good alternative. Gone are the days in which France, Germany, or the U.K. can have significant geopolitical power by themselves. But together, the top European powers can still influence world politics. From this viewpoint, the recent flurry of agreements, as well as the institutionalizing of forums for further coordination prescribed in these treaties, is a positive development. Ulrike Franke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, based in Paris. She focuses on German and European security and defense, the future of warfare and the impact of new technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence. Her bi-weekly WPR column appears every other Wednesday. The post The Return of Europe's Great(ish) Powers appeared first on World Politics Review.
Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
France, Poland to seal burgeoning alliance with friendship treaty
PARIS - France and Poland on May 9 will sign a new friendship and cooperation treaty, reflecting a growing alliance between two of the European Union's key powers and allies of Ukraine as it fights off Russia's invasion. French President Emmanuel Macron will ink the accord alongside visiting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the eastern French city of Nancy. 'This treaty will lift the Franco-Polish partnership to a high level of ambition in strategic areas for our two countries and for Europe, particularly defence and energy,' said the French presidency. The treaty is a 'game-changer' and 'historic', Mr Tusk said in comments on May 7, adding: 'It is a treaty in which we assure each other of mutual assistance in the event of a threat or aggression.' Ties between France and Poland have tightened since Mr Tusk, a former European Council president, became premier in late 2023, ending years of rule by the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS). Both nations have made clear their implacable support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion and, with Germany undergoing unusual political instability, Warsaw's clout has also grown within the EU. France has realised that 'Poland is an essential partner in a high-risk environment,' Mr Pierre Buhler, former French ambassador to Poland and author of Poland, History Of An Ambition, told AFP. Tightening such partnerships has grown all the more important after US President Donald Trump made clear Europe should do more to ensure its own security. Analysts say Nato member Poland could have the EU's biggest army in the next decade. The Polish army will have 216,000 troops in 2024, according to Nato data, already more than the French (205,000) and German (186,000) armies. It aims to reach 300,000 troops by 2035. 'Strategic communication' 'Poland is saying: 'Yes, we are taking responsibility for ourselves by entering into an alliance with the strongest country in continental Europe',' said Mr Marek Swierczynski, head of security and international affairs at the Warsaw-based consultancy Polityka Insight. Mr Macron has also suggested widening the nuclear deterrent of France, the EU's only nuclear-armed power, to include other European nations. Such protection is of immense interest to Poland which has a land border with Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad and has repeatedly warned that it too could be the target of Russian aggression. The location and timing of the signing of the treaty in Nancy from around 1400 GMT (10pm Singapore time), May 9 afternoon, are also loaded with symbolism. Nancy is part of the eastern Lorraine region, ruled in the eighteenth century by the deposed Polish king Stanislaw I, who was also the father-in-law of French King Louis XV. Today, Nancy's main square, one of the most beautiful in all France which he planned as duke of Lorraine, is named Place Stanislas in his honour. Mr Tusk and Mr Macron will also be showing off their alliance on the same day that Russia under President Vladimir Putin marks victory in World War II with an imposing military parade in Red Square. Guests for the May 9 holiday will include Chinese President Xi Jinping. Poland is also gearing up for presidential elections on May 18 where a nationalist candidate backed by the PiS will challenge the pro-European Warsaw mayor who has the support of Mr Tusk, amid warnings of the risk of a Russian disinformation campaign. The signing of the treaty in Nancy is also 'a tool for strategic communication' said Mr Swierczynski. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Local France
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Local France
France and Poland to seal burgeoning alliance with friendship treaty
French President Emmanuel Macron will ink the accord alongside visiting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the eastern French city of Nancy. "This treaty will lift the Franco-Polish partnership to a high level of ambition in strategic areas for our two countries and for Europe, particularly defence and energy," said the French presidency. The treaty is a "game-changer" and "historic", Tusk said in comments on Wednesday, adding: "It is a treaty in which we assure each other of mutual assistance in the event of a threat or aggression." Ties between France and Poland have tightened since Tusk, a former European Council president, became premier in late 2023, ending years of rule by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. Both nations have made clear their implacable support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion and, with Germany undergoing unusual political instability, Warsaw's clout has also grown within the EU. France has realised that "Poland is an essential partner in a high-risk environment," Pierre Buhler, former French ambassador to Poland and author of "Poland, History of an Ambition", told AFP. Advertisement Tightening such partnerships has grown all the more important after US President Donald Trump made clear Europe should do more to ensure its own security. Analysts say NATO member Poland could have the EU's biggest army in the next decade. The Polish army will have 216,000 troops in 2024, according to NATO data, already more than the French (205,000) and German (186,000) armies. It aims to reach 300,000 troops by 2035. 'Strategic communication' "Poland is saying: 'Yes, we are taking responsibility for ourselves by entering into an alliance with the strongest country in continental Europe'," said Marek Swierczynski, head of security and international affairs at the Warsaw-based consultancy Polityka Insight. Macron has also suggested widening the nuclear deterrent of France, the EU's only nuclear-armed power, to include other European nations. Such protection is of immense interest to Poland which has a land border with Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad and has repeatedly warned that it too could be the target of Russian aggression. Advertisement There is also a great deal of symbolism surrounding the location and timing of the signing of the treaty in Nancy on Friday afternoon. Nancy is part of the eastern Lorraine region, ruled in the eighteenth century by the deposed Polish king Stanislaw I, who was also the father-in-law of French King Louis XV. Today, Nancy's main square, one of the most beautiful in all France which he planned as duke of Lorraine, is named Place Stanislas in his honour. Tusk and Macron will also be showing off their alliance on the same day that Russia under President Vladimir Putin marks victory in World War II with an imposing military parade in Red Square. Guests for the May 9th holiday will include Chinese President Xi Jinping. Poland is also gearing up for presidential elections on May 18th where a nationalist candidate backed by the PiS will challenge the pro-European Warsaw mayor who has the support of Tusk, amid warnings of the risk of a Russian disinformation campaign. The signing of the treaty in Nancy is also "a tool for strategic communication" said Swierczynski.
