Von der Leyen congratulates Nawrocki on election victory in Poland

Brussels – EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the right-wing conservative Karol Nawrocki on his victory in the presidential election in Poland and hopes for good cooperation. “I am confident that the EU will continue its very good collaboration with Poland,” von der Leyen wrote on the platform X.

She added: “Together we are all stronger in our community of peace, democracy, and values.” She urged to work together to ensure security and prosperity. 

Nawrocki narrowly won the presidential election in Poland. According to preliminary data from the state electoral commission, he received 50.89 percent of the votes in the runoff. His opponent, the pro-European Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, received 49.11 percent.

German-Polish Relations Under Strain

How might the change of power in Poland affect German-Polish relations? Agnieszka Lada-Konefal from the German-Polish Institute believes that the domestic political chaos could also impact foreign policy. “The [Polish] government will mainly be occupied with the fight against the president and will have little room for maneuver in foreign policy.” The Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is under pressure and will avoid any positive movement towards Germany. Therefore, major German-Polish initiatives are not to be expected.

Nawrocki had already emphasized during the presidential campaign that one should never trust Germany, the expert continued. “This will not make German-Polish relations easier.” The non-partisan historian had also announced that he would fight for World War reparations from Germany as president. While he cannot initiate concrete steps as head of state, he can influence the atmosphere in bilateral relations with his rhetoric, Lada-Konefal said.

The PiS government had previously demanded more than 1.3 trillion euros in compensation from Germany for the damages suffered during World War II, thoroughly straining the relationship with Berlin. (June 2)