Established in Weimar in 1991 at the instigation of the French and German ministers of foreign affairs, the trilateral relationship between France, Germany and Poland has from the outset conveyed the desire of Germany and Poland to draw inspiration from the Franco-German model for their reconciliation. The purpose of the Weimar Triangle has evolved naturally in terms of enlargement and its activities have slowly been steered towards helping Poland prepare for its accession to the European Union.
Poland’s membership in the EU on 1 May 2004 rekindled the vocation of the Weimar Triangle, which is establishing itself as a framework for political dialogue at various levels of government of the three countries. It affords them the opportunity to exchange their views on the progress of European integration, internal policies, Europe’s foreign security and defence policy as well as the development of relations with the “new neighbours”.
In 2006, on the occasion of its 15th anniversary, the three partners have decided to breathe new life into the Weimar Triangle. In the future, it is expected to play a more significant role, in terms of both cooperation and proposal-making within the EU on current key issues (energy, economic development, social model, etc.). By improving its reputation, it should also encourage an increasing amount of contact between civil societies, in order to multiply debates of ideas between their respective public opinions, thereby fighting prejudices and misunderstandings, which, because of their national history, often endure. In this spirit, the Weimar Triangle has already been enriched by many initiatives in various fields, from research to cooperation between territorial communities and student exchanges.
Bringing together the presidents of Poland and France and the German chancellor, the summit in Nancy (19 May 2005) was organized around three major themes:
- the main European issues, key to moving forward with European integration after the 2004 enlargement. In particular, this applies to the internal policies, the EU’s policy towards neighbouring countries as well as to the common European security and defence policy (CESDP);
- current international issues, in particular the situation in the Near East and Middle East and UN reform;
- the trilateral partnership, which needs to be intensified, stressing economic exchanges and trade, training, research and intercultural exchanges.
The next summit will be held in Weimar (Thuringia) on 3 July 2006. Meetings between ministers of foreign affairs and officials tasked with European affairs, as well as between various “technical” ministers should also take place this year.