He is “looking forward” to getting to know the new German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, said Luxembourg’s head of department Xavier Bettel. “I have already wished him good luck by text message – and steady nerves.” And Finland’s top diplomat Elina Valtonen added that she was pleased that Germany once again had “a government capable of taking action.”
Many participants at the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Warsaw expressed similar sentiments when asked about their new counterpart from Berlin. For Johann Wadephul, the meeting was his first EU-level dialogue since taking office.
A carefully-orchestrated TV appearance
His predecessor, the Green politician Annalena Baerbock, sometimes spoke as if she had memorized her statements by heart, whereas Wadephul spoke to the EU press in a calm, self-confident way from Paris.
He came to Warsaw directly from Paris, traveling together on a plane with his French colleague Jean-Noel Barrot, a fact he emphasized. The two also appeared before the cameras together. In its own words, the new German government is trying to reset relations with France and Poland, which Wadephul described as Germany’s closest friends.
“We are connected,” he said in Warsaw. This bond “will remain a constant in our foreign policy.”
A reset in relations with Paris and Warsaw
Europe is facing major challenges and is being put to the test by Russia’s war in Ukraine, emphasized Barrot. The Community must be able to rely on “a Franco-German couple who are determined to give Europe new ambitions.”
France is hoping for close cooperation with the new coalition in Berlin, be it in defense or economic policy. According to Stefan Seidendorf, Deputy Director of the Franco-German Institute, the Elysee Palace’s interpretation is that “the partner Macron has been waiting for since 2017 is finally here.”
A long-awaited partner
However, Seidendorf also pointed out that this view is associated with a lot of wishful thinking and that Berlin and Paris still have different agendas in many areas. For example, on the question of how to finance more coordinated defense in Europe. However, the fact that Wadephul sought a personable approach to his partners went down well in France.
Conflicts in individual policy areas were also emerging with the Polish government, Piotr Buras told DW.
The head of the European Council in Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Warsaw mentioned in particular the rejections of migrants announced by the German government and increased controls at all German borders.
‘Germany first’ as a message?
Warsaw is critical of the measures in the Schengen area, which are not considered to be in line with EU law, said Buras. They could also be easily instrumentalized by right-wing parties in Poland. The way in which German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the steps, “in a Trump-like manner,” did not give the impression that the interests of the neighboring states had been taken into consideration, Buras criticized.
Instead, this was perceived as a kind of “Germany-first” message.
Buras sees an opportunity here for the new foreign minister.
“Wadephul must take the initiative” to solve the problem of irregular migration at a European level together with Poland and other EU partners, said Buras, for example through new agreements with third countries.
Wadephul’s appointment ‘good for Poland’
Wadephul’s appointment as foreign minister is “very good for Poland, because he is one of the few politicians in Germany who knows and understands the country,” said Buras, describing him as “a modest guy who is not known for pithy slogans, but who shows sensitivity.”
In Warsaw, Wadephul emphasized that he was grateful for the German-Polish friendship.
“Especially here in Warsaw, Germans must be aware of the responsibility we still bear,” he said. “Hardly any other city in Europe suffered as much under the barbaric Nazi regime as Warsaw. That is a lasting debt”
Wadephul emphasized that the German government wanted to give German-Polish relations a “new dimension.” And he did not fail to mention that he had already attended a football match together with the Polish Foreign Minister, Radek Sikorski. He added that they would like to repeat this experience in the future.
This article was originally published in German.
