ABSTRACT
Polish–German relations are strongly rooted in the institutions of European integration and bonded together by shared interests concerning the efficiency and cohesion of the single market. Mutual membership in the core of the European Union – the Eurozone – could intensify these relations. However, Poland is reluctant to join, and there is little indication that this approach might change over the next decade. This text is an attempt to look at the reasons for remaining outside the monetary union from the context of Poland’s relations with its western neighbour and understand the role of the German ‘factor’ in the ‘No to the euro’ calculations. Asymmetry in mutual economic relations matters: it fits into a wider debate on the middle-income trap and may be one of the factors pushing Poland to development strategies based on monetary and fiscal autonomy. Furthermore, a look into historical legacies delivers important differences in economic institutions, as well as anxiety about German hegemony combined with a strong bias on sovereignty – which all might explain the Poles’ preference for retaining their own currency. Finally, Poland seems to be complacent, with the current shape of interdependences at the EU level focused around the single market and not really interested in switching to a broader agenda on internal Eurozone challenges.
