ABSTRACT
The current German–Polish border was created after the Second World War as a result of the Potsdam Treaty. However, for over 40 years cross-border contacts were limited to meetings of communist officials and strongly controlled exchanges of activities. Thus, border communities could hardly develop any transborder interactions until the fall of communism. This chapter scrutinises the development of bilateral cooperation between Germany and Poland in the borderland. Drawing on the concept of embedded bilateralism, the cross-border cooperation is regarded as part of the parapublic underpinnings and a crucial component of sustainable German–Polish bilateral relations. Hence, I will address the following questions. Which factors particularly enhance and which inhibit cross-border cooperation? What role do the EU and state actors play in Polish–German bilateral relations in border regions? The chapter is based on the evaluation of expert interviews and both Polish and German documents as well as secondary literature.
