Conclusion

Abstract

The Conclusion summarises the book’s main argument and findings with regard to the role of the three types of asymmetries—material, spatial and temporal—in structuring Poland and Germany’s conflicting interests, dissimilar policy choices and ultimately also the varying levels of their respective influence over bargaining outcomes in the area of high politics during the 2000s. Consideration is also given to the way in which the three structural asymmetries ‘mix’ to stimulate specific and sometimes less visible, but hence often more profound differences that had regularly tested the Polish-German relationship inside Euro-Atlantic institutions. The discussion subsequently extends beyond the second post-Cold War decade to take stock of more recent developments and present-day challenges, including the multiple dilemmas that beset the European project: the Eurozone (design) crisis, war in eastern Ukraine, influx of refugees from across the Mediterranean and, last but not least, Poland’s democratic backsliding. In the end, the chapter proposes an agenda for future conceptual and empirical research.