Hryhoriy Mesezhnikov: Germany remains the main engine for the future fate of the EU
11.04.2024
Hryhoriy Mesezhnikov
Whether it is possible to call the Franco-German alliance the locomotive of Europe and who can become the third for symmetry, the Newssky correspondent asked Hryhori Mesezhnikov, president of the Institute of Public Affairs in Slovakia, for a comment.
In your opinion, can Germany be called the absolute leader of the European integration process?
It should be said that in recent years, Germany has carried the process of expansion and deepening of the European Union on its shoulders and hips, so Germany remains the main engine in the future fate of the EU. The European Union is a project that has acquired a geopolitical scale over the past few years, and without Germany’s clear position, the EU’s actions related to the reaction to Russian aggression against Ukraine could hardly have been implemented. German aid to Ukraine is significant, even though France also supports the country attacked by Russia, but the support of both countries cannot be compared (its material part). France provided arms to Ukraine worth almost 800 million euros, while Germany provided almost 18 billion.
Is it possible to strengthen such a tandem, and in what way?
They are considering the future development of the EU and the question of who could join the tandem of France and Germany in difficult geopolitical conditions, most likely Poland, if its internal political development and relations with the EU result from recent changes in political life, in Poland’s approach to cooperation with the EU. Poland can certainly become such a state; this country has a clear position regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russian aggression, and support for Ukraine. The existing format of Weimar cooperation can become very important in this context.
Maryna Kovalchuk, deputy editor-in-chief (Central Europe and Canada), head of the V5 Media project contributed.
