Head of the European Parliament Martin Schulz compared the new Polish government’s latest moves to a "coup." Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said his country would not "take lessons in freedom and democracy" from Germany. The German government restrained from finger-wagging at the Poles. Now Berlin worries that the dispute will end with a disruption in its ties with Poland, according to the article.
A breakdown in relations would imperil decades of painstaking reconciliation. Moreover, losing Poland would mean that Berlin now has practically no allies in the EU. Currently, it is a time when the EU must confront a daunting array of challenges that its own leaders warn could trigger a collapse. At the same time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel needs strong allies who could help her reform the EU, solve the migrant crisis and settle a lot of other issues, the article read.
"Berlin is running out of coalition partners," Josef Janning, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations was quoted as saying by Politico. "Everyone is rather weak or self-centered at this point."
According to the article, despite the sharp tone coming from Warsaw it would not instantly cut off ties with Berlin, first of all due to economic and security reasons.
The Poles should not go too far trying Germany’s patience. This could damage Poland’s reputation, an unnamed German diplomat told Financial Times.
