The joint statement for the anniversary maps out an even closer future partnership and reflects the excellent state of the relationship between the countries. The statement is documented below.

The joint project list referred to in the statement describes a concrete program for closer cooperation in the coming years. It can be downloaded at cvd.bundesregierung.de.

Joint statement by the governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland

on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty

of Good Neighbourship and Friendly Cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland:

Neighbours and partners

20 years of good neighbourship

In the twenty years since the division of Europe was overcome, Germany and Poland have developed a better relationship than ever before. For the first time in history, our countries and people live in both peace and freedom as equal members of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. We are brought together by thousands of years of culture and civilization. The difficult and painful chapters in our collective history still serve as precautions for the future. Today, German-Polish relations are based on principles of friendship as well as shared values and interests. They are shaped by a sense of joint responsibility for the future of a united Europe.

The Treaty of Good Neighbourship and Friendly Cooperation whose 20th anniversary we are celebrating today has served as a stable basis for our future-oriented cooperation. Along with the German-Polish Border Treaty, it forms the basis of good neighbourship and partnership, without which today´s united Europe would be unthinkable. On the basis of these treaties we have developed very dynamic and close political, economic, social and cultural relations. The countries and voivodships, cities and districts make meaningful contributions to this through their multifaceted commitments.

We are pleased with what has been accomplished in the last 20 years. We affirm our readiness to deepen our cooperative efforts across the board, but especially those areas whose full potential has not yet been reached. For this purpose we adopted a program for cooperation for the coming years. The concrete and important projects entailed are included in the annex to this statement.

Foundations of German-Polish understanding

We want to deepen mutual trust through open dialogue and questioning of the past. We are determined to continue the reconciliation process between Germany and Poland. To reach this goal, it is especially important to promote exchange among youth as well as academic and scientific exchange. The German-Polish Youth Office, the Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation, the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), the German-Polish Science Foundation, the Foundation for German-Polish Reconciliation and meeting places and memorials provide important pillars of support for communication, especially for the younger generation.

Mutual knowledge of the neighbouring country´s culture and language is a valuable and important prerequisite for understanding between German and Polish people. Therefore, we propose developing this part of the cooperation even further.

We are of the opinion that Polish-born German citizens and all people in Germany who speak the Polish language, identify with its culture and recognize its traditions as well as the members of the German minority in Poland play an important role in consolidating understanding between the two societies. We reaffirm our commitment to supporting these groups in terms of their cultural identities and native languages, commitments that arose from the Treaty of Good Neighbourship and Friendly Cooperation and from European standards. Both parties will take concrete structural and financial measures to implement equal rights for the German minority in Poland and Polish-born German citizens as stipulated in the treaty. In cooperation with all involved parties, we will implement the agreements that have been developed in the context of the German-Polish round table conversations. We will continue this dialogue.

We also intend to hold discussions pertaining to the questions of cultural assets and archives.

In terms of broadening and facilitating contacts among our citizens, we would like to intensify cooperation both regionally and across borders. To this end, one of our pursuits will be an improvement of infrastructures including trains, streets, and waterways connections for both people and freight.

Partnership for Europe

Germany and Poland wish to make their contribution to the strengthening of Europe’s political and economic unity through close coordination and joint initiatives within the European Union. Cooperation within the Weimar Triangle also furthers this goal. Europe must strengthen its competitiveness in order to maintain its position in the world. A viable internal market, the restoration of sound public finances and sustainable as well as socially balanced growth are prerequisites for this. Strengthening the coordination of economic policies within the European Union and ensuring lasting stability of the euro zone as a whole is also important. Germany and Poland are thus committed to the full implementation of the “Euro-Plus Pact”.

Germany and Poland support the European Union’s enlargement process. In this context, they attach great importance to compliance with all accession criteria as well as the integration capacity of the EU.

Through joint action and initiatives witin the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Germany and Poland wish to contribute to the consolidation of Europe’s role in the world and to the strengthening of relations with the European Union’s strategic partners. Close German-Polish cooperation within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership seek to enhance democratization and development in the countries situated East and South of the European Union. Our joint dialogue with Russia and the cooperation within the framework of the Weimar Triangle contribute to a further intensification of the relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation.

Current developments in the world as well as the events of the past months have underlined the importance of quick and efficient crisis response on the part of the EU. We thus strive, together and within the framework of the Weimar Triangle, for a consolidation of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. It is the view of both parties that, in order to achieve a more efficient crisis response capacity in the EU, civil and military planning and leadership capabilities need to be developed and common military capabilities need to be reinforced.

Germany and Poland remain committed to the development of a common European energy policy oriented towards enhancing energy security, diversifying energy sources and transport routes as well as increasing energy efficiency. Both parties advocate the drafting of a new internationally binding convention on climate change. It should also be binding for the world’s largest economies and be based on the principle of a common and differentiated responsibility for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

Germany and Poland in the world

As members of the United Nations, NATO, the EU and the OSCE, Germany and Poland contribute to the preservation of peace and security and will continue to stand up for the compliance with the principles of a peaceful world order. Both parties cooperate closely within the framework of NATO and EU civil and military crisis management, in Afghanistan, for example. Both parties welcome the new Strategic Concept adopted at NATO’s Lisabon summit in 2010, which reconfirmed NATO’s role as a defence structure and adapted the organization to the modern security environment, enabling it to react to both conventional and new threats. Germany and Poland will take joint initiatives in the areas of disarmament and the reduction of conventional armed forces and tactical nuclear weapons arsenals in Europe. We wish to continue to intensify the close cooperation between our armed forces. Germany and Poland’s joint commitment within the framework of the Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin constitutes a good example of cooperation in this field.

Strengthening of institutional cooperation

Germany and Poland conduct an intensive, parnership-based political dialogue on all bilateral, European and international questions. We agree that the intensification of this dialogue is to be pursued on all levels, including the presidents, parliaments and governments. Intergovernmental consultations, which take place on a regular basis, also further this goal. These consultations can also take the form of joint cabinet meetings on specific topics. Regular consultations ahead of European Council meetings, at the foreign minister level and between other ministers serve to coordinate our positions and formulate joint initiatives.

To this end, cooperation between ministries should also be deepened through enhanced personnel exchanges. We are pleased that the close and regular cooperation between our parliaments gives important impetus to our bilateral cooperation. This further applies to partnerships between towns and regions as well as contacts between our societies.

We reiterate the special importance of the German-Polish partnership. We wish to work together for the benefit of the citizens of Germany and Poland as well as all of Europe.

Warsaw, June 21, 2011