Germany’s Merkel visits Warsaw

While in Warsaw, Merkel met with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and President Andrzej Duda to discuss issues including the next European Union budget, migration, defence and energy.

Morawiecki told journalists at a joint press conference with Merkel that Poland was interested in continuing “close cooperation” with Germany.

Merkel, meanwhile, spoke of the importance of cultivating “good neighbourly relations” and underlined the significance of bilateral business ties, citing vibrant trade between Poland and Germany, which hit a record EUR 100 billion last year.

On the issue of refugees, Morawiecki spoke of a need to reform the European asylum system and declared Poland's readiness to help work out new solutions in this area.

The two politicians also talked about the EU budget for 2021-2027, with Morawiecki declaring that Poland supported increased budget contributions from EU member countries post-Brexit, and Merkel saying that work on the new budget would be “difficult” though there was reason to be “optimistic.”