The Changing Nature of Germany's Relationships with the Visegrad 4 Countries (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic)

This project focuses on Germany's relationship with the Visegrád 4 (V4) countries individually and collectively. It is a collaboration between Aston University, the University of Birmingham and the Jacques Delors Centre, a major think tank based in Berlin.

Understanding the relationship between Germany and the V4 countries can contribute to our understanding of power dynamics within Europe. At the centre of these dynamics lies the question: to what extent does the interplay of identity, history, and political preferences and interests shape bilateral and multilateral relations, including those within institutions such as the European Union? This project will take a nuanced approach which recognises and emphasises that the nature, quality and intensity of relations vary between areas of policy. Through exploring the potential conflicts between trade ties and economic dependence, national and European security, migration, and minority rights, this project will contribute not only to our knowledge of this region, but also to the field of area studies more generally.

Germany and the V4 countries all had to begin a process of national rebuilding after the Cold War, navigating between national sovereignty, concepts of 'East' and 'West', Europeanism and globalisation. The definition and implications of European identity in each country will be a key theme within this project. Analysis of each country's commitment to the idea of Europe will be based on exploring perceptions within each country of its international roles and responsibilities, and what it means to be European. Does Germany identify with a concept of 'western Europe', and how is this reflected in its relations with the V4 countries? To what extent do the V4 countries - to varying degrees - want to resist European integration?

A central area of interest is Germany's influence in the European Union and how the V4 countries fit into Germany's vision of the European project. Is Germany a willing or a reluctant leader, and to what extent is it perceived as such in the V4 countries? Will the V4 countries play an increasingly important role in the European Union and in Germany's foreign policy, particularly following Brexit? What are the other consequences of Brexit given the United Kingdom's close ties with Germany and the V4 countries while it was still a member state?

Brexit offers a case-study for comparing the extent to which commitment to the European Union is driven by ideological or practical considerations in Germany and the V4 countries. Germany's standpoint during the Brexit negotiations emphasised the fundamental principles of European integration, while the V4 countries had more regionally specific concerns about the impact of Brexit on the geopolitical influence of the European Union in eastern Europe. The respective countries' priorities during the Brexit talks can reveal much about their attitudes towards the idea of Europe and issues such as trade and security.

Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine offers scope for research into foreign policy, defence and security, and the role of Germany and the V4 countries in international organisations, specifically the European Union and NATO. Has Russia's invasion challenged ideas about European unity? Will the different responses of each country affect future economic and diplomatic relations? These questions can shed light both on the conflict itself and on future relations between Germany and the V4 countries.