Annual gatherings framed as economic forums alongside the Weimar Triangle were outlined in the Polish-German Action Plan. The document also highlights a goal to create a regularly convened Polish-German energy and climate working group. It emphasizes sharing experiences, knowledge, and best practices between the two nations. There is a drive to ensure these exchanges avoid past missteps, such as questionable gas pipeline projects built under contentious circumstances.
The Polish Prime Minister’s Office issued the Polish-German Action Plan after an intergovernmental consultation that included Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. It marked the first such consultative meeting between Poland and Germany since 2018. The plan states that this format will recur regularly and signals a willingness to establish new bilateral consultation mechanisms, including joint meetings of foreign and defense ministers.
We are going to exchange knowledge
The action plan commits to annual forums starting from 2024, conducted as the Polish-German Economic Forum and the Weimar Triangle meeting.
The two countries will share insights and pursue cooperation in innovation, artificial intelligence, internationalization, and support for startups. This will be achieved by leveraging existing structures within the Polish-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other collaborative platforms, with expansion where needed. Innovation cooperation will deepen through jointly funded research and development projects across technology and its applications.
Both governments will coordinate on modernizing current railway lines and potential future infrastructure to connect Poland and Germany, accommodating growing passenger and freight rail traffic. There will be close alignment of integrated schedules in both countries, with analyses of travel times and steps to accelerate cross-border rail connections.
The document also notes cooperation on the Polish-German partner ticket and ongoing dialogue in inland navigation regarding the Oder Waterway. This includes safety and implementation of the 2015 joint agreement and related navigation matters.
Cooperation within the Weimar Triangle
Discussions will explore creating a digital Weimar Triangle to shape common EU positions for presentation to the European Commission and other member states. The two nations will advance a unified approach for the declaration of posted workers, introducing an eDeclaration, and will develop a multilingual EU portal enabling companies to submit postings digitally in their own language.
There is also a plan to broaden cooperation against money laundering and terrorist financing within the Weimar Triangle.
The plan to establish a regularly meeting Polish-German energy and climate working group was announced, involving expert representatives from the relevant ministries. Both governments will promote the Polish-German energy platform and elevate the bilateral high-level forum on energy transformation.
Berlin and Warsaw intend to keep exchanging information on policies to accelerate renewable energy deployment, improve energy efficiency, and decarbonize heating, especially district heating. The two sides will jointly discuss hydrogen economy deployment, decarbonizing industry, and meeting the 2030 targets for renewable fuels of non-biological origin RFNBO.
The pair will share technological and legislative insights on Europe’s hydrogen economy. They will discuss joint infrastructure projects like the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor and push forward other cross-border efforts. Information will be exchanged on converting gas storages to hydrogen storage, expanding hydrogen storage capacity, and forecasting needed stock for 2035.
Diversifying energy supplies and guiding climate action are highlighted as shared priorities. Both sides will strive to reduce Russia’s energy export revenues and deepen cooperation on energy security, focusing on reliable oil and gas supply amid geopolitical tensions.
The plan supports implementing the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality objective and a coordinated exchange of best practices within the Fit for 55 package. It also calls for Warsaw and Berlin to collaborate on biodiversity through genetic resources as part of national development strategies.
Questions arise about how much the Western neighbor will accept nuclear energy given past opposition. The document leaves room for discussion while emphasizing a broader energy partnership and strategic dialogue between Poland and Germany.