Warmer Relations

In the 17 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, German-Polish relations have seldom been as bad as they are now. It's a point not just stated by the media in the two countries, but also publicly by German and Polish politicians.

From the Polish perspective, the reasons behind the deteriorating relationship are easy to list -- the Baltic Sea pipeline, which is supposed to transport gas from Russia to Germany but by carefully skirting Poland and the recent clamor by German expellees.

Complaints on both sides

The German list of complaints against Warsaw is a bit longer. Ever since Kaczynski's party started dictating the pace of German-Polish relations, there have been problems.

The most serious difficulty is the general political atmosphere on the Vistula, which serves as a breeding ground for perpetuating various anti-German prejudices. It is not even considered reprehensible to politically stigmatize your political opponent by accusing him of being of German descent.

Warsaw's destructive attitudes toward financing the German-Polish youth organization, the halting of work on many committees (like the one responsible for boat traffic on the Oder River), and cultural exchange are all on the German list of negatives.

Berlin's most frequent criticism is that the Polish side doesn't operate cooperatively, blocks Germany's propositions and is not interested in constructively working together. Not great prospects for Germany's upcoming EU presidency.

Visit alone is a sign of progress

Considering the long list of accusations from both sides, it is not surprising that the fact that Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski did actually manage to visit Berlin at all is considered a success unto itself. But that's not all.

The visit did bring about a thaw in frosty relations in some areas. The money the Polish government owned the German-Polish youth organization has already come in, for example. As is often the case at such events, both sides praised the youth organization's success -- which still doesn't make it immune to future blows.

There are signs that the controversial pipeline issue may be resolved. Russia won't turn off the taps, thus ensuring that Poland won't be cut off from gas supplies from Moscow. A European energy market is to be established to provide energy security to all EU members, including Poland.

Both sides can be pleased

Jaroslaw Kaczynski can return to Warsaw satisfied. The charm offensive he's begun will at least keep Poland out of the German headlines for a while.

And Angela Merkel can exhale a sigh of relief because the Poles are going to start acting a bit more constructively instead of boycotting Germany's EU presidency.