Political relations between Germany and Poland are worse than they have been since 1989. The national conservatives in power in Warsaw alone are to blame for this situation.
They spread a distorted image of Germany made up of lies, half-truths and hatred: Berlin wants to build a “fourth Reich” on the basis of the EU and subjugate Poland again.
Individual members of the government still maintain a matter-of-fact diplomatic tone towards Germany as an ally in the EU and NATO.
But the weight of the moderating voices is diminishing, while at the same time the rhetorical inhibitions of the hardliners are fading.
The reasons for this lie in Polish domestic politics.
It will be difficult for the ruling PiS party to win the parliamentary elections again next year.
Poland's right-wing has always liked to stir up anti-German sentiment in election campaigns, because this appeals to a section of the population in view of the crimes committed by Germans in World War II.
Now the PiS is striking even sharper tones than before because it is unable to implement promised social programs in the current crisis of all times through its own fault.
The government has little chance of getting the 36 billion euros from the EU Corona reconstruction fund because it is not sticking to the agreement with the EU Commission in the dispute over the rule of law.
The result of this behavior is sold to the public as a German intrigue: On behalf of Berlin, the German EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen refuses Poland the money in order to force Poland to comply with Germany.
The political message of the reparation demands
Putting demands for reparations for the devastation of World War II on the table is the answer to this alleged intrigue.
Officially, it's about historical justice, but the aim is to convey a current message: This indomitable government is able to get a multiple of the EU money that Poland is being withheld.
One can hardly hope for constructive, future-oriented relations with the PiS government.
It must be considered a success if it is possible to maintain professional working relationships between Berlin and Warsaw.
Germany's priority must be to preserve the unity of the West against Russian aggression, even in the face of the German-Polish dispute that Warsaw has forced against its own reason of state.
In this situation it is important not to equate political relations with the whole German-Polish relationship.
Poland has long been more important for the German economy than Russia, the number of people encounters is large.
Above all, however, the behavior of the Warsaw government must not obscure the fact that there are deeper problems in German-Polish relations for which the Polish side is not responsible.
Condescending behavior on the German side
The relationship is asymmetrical: In view of a history in which German rulers in the 18th and 19th centuries first wanted to wipe out Poland as a state and then in the 20th century with genocidal energy as a nation, the relationship with Germany is of existential importance for Poles.
For most Germans, on the other hand, Poland is just one neighbor among many – one that is less well known than those in the west.
Even Germans with an interest in history are often unaware of how brutal the German occupiers were in Poland during World War II.
This is seen and is one reason why the majority of Poles approve of reparations demands, although polls show few expect real money to flow.
It's about recognition.
Not only the past stands between Poland and Germany.
Condescending behavior of Germans towards Poles is not history yet.
For years, Poles of all political options, from left to right, have warned against the aggressiveness of the Russian regime and criticized the blindness of German politics to it.
They weren't taken seriously.
In the case of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the government and business in Germany simply refused to discuss the content.
The Poles were right, and yet there are politicians and publicists in Germany who explain to the hotheads in the East what a reasonable reaction to the Russian attack on Ukraine should look like.
If the damage that the PiS government is causing in German-Polish relations is to be overcome at some point, then the German side needs more openness, respect and understanding for its neighbors to the east.