Apprehensive partners: Germany, Poland and EU enlargement

As demands and tensions linked to the European Union's forthcoming enlargement intensify, Germany and Poland's communal interests and institutionalised obligations to co-operate do not guarantee solutions to historical and more recent contentions. While on balance the relationship is appraised as positive, this article also highlights areas of strain that governmental actors and academic commentary have tended to minimise. Even with continued state support for structural change, commercial endeavours and contacts among civil society, a deficiency of popular enthusiasm signals that bilateral difficulties will persist after Poland's EU entry.