Poland and Germany in the European Union: The Multidimensional Dynamics of Bilateral Relations (Routledge Advances in European Politics)

This book explores the political and social dynamics of the bilateral relations between Germany and Poland at the national and subnational levels, taking into account the supranational dynamics, across such different policy areas as trade, foreign and security policy, energy, fiscal issues, health and social policy, migration and local governance. By studying the impact of the three explanatory categories – the historical legacy, interdependence and asymmetry – on the bilateral relationship, the book explores the patterns of cooperation and identifies the driving forces and hindering factors of the bilateral relationship. Covering the Polish–German relationship since 2004, it demonstrates, in a systematic way, that it does not qualify as embedded bilateralism. The relationship remains historically burdened and asymmetric, and thus it is not resilient to crises. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of European and EU Politics, German politics, East/Central European Politics, borderlands studies, and more broadly, for international relations, history and sociology. Introduction : Poland and Germany in the European Union : multi-dimensional dynamics of bilateral relations / Anna-Lena Kirch, Elżbieta Opiłowska and Monika Sus -- Bilateralism within the European Union : examining the explanatory power of horizontal Europeanisation and interdependence / Joanna Dyduch -- Back in fashion? : the resurgence of bilateral diplomacy in Europe / Alexander Mattelaer -- Asymmetric bilateralism and the struggle over status in the EU field of power / Agnieszka Cianciara -- The category of national neighbourships as a complement to the concept of embedded bilateralism : the Polish-German case / Marcin Dębicki and Julita Makaro -- Polish-German relations in security and defence : falling short of potential or doomed to be fragile? / Monika Sus and Anna-Lena Kirch -- Poland's reserved approach to the Euro : does Germany matter? / Sebastian Płóciennik -- (A)symmetry in economic relations? : German-Polish integration in the EU single market / Dagmara Jajeśniak-Quast -- Migrations : an axis of dispute or a potential point of enhanced cooperation? / Maciej Duszczyk -- Untapped horizons : Polish and German business actors and bilateral energy relationships / Andrzej Ceglarz -- Explaining the mutual perceptions of Poles and Germans in the light of the Polish-German barometer / Agnieszka Łada -- Determinants of the cross-border cooperation in the German-Polish borderlands / Elżbieta Opiłowska -- Network theories and the cross-border cooperation between Poland and Germany / Sylwia Dołzbłasz and Andrzej Raczyk -- German-Polish bilateralism at the local and regional level : the case of INTERREG Programme / Jarosław Jańczak and Javier Martín-Uceda -- Dynamics of economic development in the German-Polish border region on the example of the State of Brandenburg and Lubuskie Voivodeship / Anna Steinkamp -- The difficult case of healthcare cooperation : German-Polish bilateral arrangements in the light of other European borderland experiences / Sara Svensson -- Conclusions / Elżbieta Opiłowska and Monika Sus This chapter discusses the state of Polish-German bilateral relations on healthcare and health policy, focusing on the potentials and practices in the regions and municipalities situated close to the border. Reviewing actions taken, discussed or highlighted by Euroregions, twin towns, intergovernmental bodies and media, the chapter finds that the overall activity level in this field is low compared to other policy sectors, even though there are signs of increased cooperation. The analysis shows that the cross-border integration and bilateral relations in the health sector are impacted by the asymmetric resources on the respective sides of the borders. This has largely spurred an increase in private exchanges but hindered the effective development of integrated public services at the local level. This is related to the notions of interdependence, whereby actors and citizens do not perceive their health or health sectors to be affected by their neighbours' activities, despite larger global and systemic interdependence that concerns human health. The analysis also demonstrates that historical legacies have relatively little importance in the area of healthcare. At the subnational level, the lack of social capital and the difficulties local cross-border actors have in efficiently working the multilevel governance scales were found to be key obstacles "This book explores the political and social dynamics of the bilateral relations between Germany and Poland at the at the national and subnational levels, taking into account the supranational dynamics, across different policy areas (trade, foreign and security policy, energy, fiscal issues, health and social policy, migration and local governance). By studying the impact of the three explanatory categories: historical legacy, interdependence and asymmetry on the bilateral relationship, the book explores the patterns of cooperation and identify the driving forces and hindering factors of the bilateral relationship. Covering the Polish-German relationship since 2004, it demonstrates in a systematic way, that it does not qualify as embedded bilateralism. The relationship remains historically burdened, asymmetric and thus it is not resilient to crises. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of European and EU Politics, German politics, East/Central European Politics, Borderlands studies, and more broadly for international relations, history and sociology"-- Provided by publisher