ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the post-2004 period, reviews relevant academic contributions on Polish–German relations in order to set the background and identifies research gaps. It explores the political and social dynamics of the bilateral relations between Germany and Poland at the national and subnational levels across different policy areas. The book examines the impact of the categories on bilateral relations between Poland and Germany. It explores different theoretical concepts that could be used to study bilateralism in Europe and that might be seen as complementary to the embedded bilateralism stance. The book focuses on the increased interest in bilateralism at the European Union (EU) level and tries to uncover reasons for this phenomenon. It deals with Polish–German cooperation in the context of the EU single market and examines the impact of asymmetry in bilateral relations on foreign trade and foreign investment.
