After France now Poland: Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Warsaw on Sunday evening after Paris and Brussels.

He met with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in front of a Christmas tree.

According to Scholz, they had a long, “friendly conversation” there.

They both know each other, as they revealed, from previous encounters.

It remained unclear whether the Pole’s stay at the University of Hamburg in 1995 played a role.

After the conversation, they both stepped in front of the cameras.

Your appearance was very friendly in tone, but mostly determined by differences.

The only issues on which there was consensus were those relating to developments beyond the EU's eastern border.

Gerhard Gnauck

Political correspondent for Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania based in Warsaw.

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Regarding the apparently subsiding crisis on Poland's eastern border, Scholz said that Belarus had "abused" refugees from third countries in a "disrespectful" way, which must be seen as the "path of a hybrid war". Here Poland acted in the European interest and therefore deserved solidarity. Both heads of government also view the situation around Ukraine with similar concern. Scholz criticized "worrying activities", namely troop movements, without explicitly mentioning the originator Russia. The "inviolability of borders" in Europe must continue to apply, however, violations would have "severe consequences" with them.

The Normandy format (negotiations with France, Ukraine and Russia) must also continue to be used.

In the case of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the two heads of government stuck to their opposing positions;

However, referring to his agreement with the former Federal Chancellor, Scholz emphasized that he “wanted to ensure” that the further gas transit through Ukraine was also secured and that the country also advanced the renewable energies in the interests of all.

Poland's Justice Minister threatens to blockade the EU

Morawiecki criticized a passage from the German coalition agreement, according to which the EU should become a "federal state". He considers such “democratic or bureaucratic centralism”, such “conformity” of the EU states to be “utopian”. Scholz replied that the formula "actually only expresses what many citizens (in Germany) think", that it is about strengthening Europe.

The issue of war compensation, which is keeping the right-wing government in Warsaw boiling for domestic political reasons, was also discussed this time. However, this was done "in the spirit of our current relationships," said Morawiecki. Regarding the dispute between Brussels and Warsaw over the rule of law in Poland, the new Chancellor said he hoped that “a very good, pragmatic solution would be found”. "We would very much like it if a common understanding can be achieved between the Commission and Poland and if we as the EU continue to know about these principles of democracy and the rule of law."

Also on Sunday, however, Poland's Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, an internal opponent of the head of government, sent completely different signals.

If Poland loses EU funds in the course of this dispute, it must, if necessary, block the community with vetoes.