Weimar Triangle 2006
The 7th meeting of the Weimar Triangle took place on December 5th, 2006 in the Old Abbey in Mettlach ( Saar ).
Attendees
Participants were the German Chancellor Angela Merkel , the French President Jacques Chirac and the Polish President Lech Kaczynski .
Originally, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Weimar Triangle, Chancellor Merkel had invited to Weimar on July 3, 2006 . However, this meeting was canceled at short notice in connection with an illness of the Polish president. For President Chirac, the meeting in Mettlach was his sixth and last participation in a Weimar summit. It was the first trilateral meeting for Chancellor Merkel and President Kaczynski.
subjects
The central themes of the meeting were the energy security of the EU , a stronger military cooperation and the EU 's foreign policy , particularly in relation to Russia , cooperation in the field of technological research, an EU accession of Turkey and the political situation in Lebanon .
Energy security
The discussion focused on the EU's energy security with a view to Russia. In this context, the Polish President declared that the question of the planned German-Russian Baltic Sea pipeline was an issue that had to be clarified on a bilateral level between Germany and Poland .
In connection with securing the European energy supply, the summit participants emphasized that efforts are being made to develop an energy policy for Europe in the spirit of solidarity . At the same time, they declared that they would like to coordinate closely on this issue. The three heads of state did not comment on Russia's negative position in connection with the ratification of the European Energy Charter . Finally, the Chancellor and the two Presidents once again emphasized the importance of Russia as a strategic partner and emphasized their readiness to develop a lasting partnership between the EU and Russia, particularly in the trade and energy sectors .
Foreign Policy and Russia
In relation to Russia, the summit participants particularly discussed Poland's stance on the blockade in connection with the negotiations between the EU and Russia on the extension of the partnership and cooperation agreement .
The Polish President called for the Russian embargo on meat imports from Poland to be lifted and declared it a condition for his veto to be lifted .
Chancellor Merkel and President Chirac made no statement on whether they support Poland's demands. The French President commented on this matter simply as follows: “Our wish is that the negotiations on the future framework of the relations between the EU and Russia are started as soon as possible, in particular that the embargo on meat products is so can be picked up as quickly as possible. "
Another issue on which there was great agreement between the three countries was the importance of the European Neighborhood Policy . This is an important means of strengthening cooperation on the EU's eastern borders. President Kaczynski stressed the importance of the neighborhood policy. In this context, the common willingness to conclude an "ambitious" and comprehensive agreement between the EU and Ukraine was expressly confirmed, which should create a new basis for cooperation. Even Belarus had been mentioned in this context.
Military cooperation
Furthermore, various examples of the close military partnership between the three countries were named “with satisfaction”. The summit participants confirmed the joint planning of a "Weimar Battle Group " as part of a multinational task force that the EU intends to make available for global crisis operations in the future. The Weimar Battle Group had previously been decided by the defense ministers of the three countries on July 25, 2006 in Krakow . The participation of the three countries in military operations in Lebanon, Afghanistan and the Congo was also discussed . At the same time, a “Weimarization” of the already existing Franco-German cooperation in diplomatic training was agreed with the involvement of Polish diplomats.
Research and Development
In connection with technological research and development, it was decided to work together within the Weimar Triangle. While Germany and France affirmed that they would reach the Lisbon target by 2010 and want to spend 3.0% of GDP on research and development in 2010, Poland was able to achieve low research and development expenditure of just 0.7% of its GDP not making much progress.
The trilateral cooperation between the universities and the trilateral exchange of students were positively mentioned.
Turkey
Another topic was the agreement of the consequences of Turkey's failure to comply with the so-called Ankara Protocol . However, the heads of government could not agree on a common formulation. Before the meeting, Angela Merkel had spoken out in favor of a "review clause" in the event that Turkey would neither ratify nor fully apply the additional protocol on the expansion of the customs union to the new member states, including Cyprus .
The three government representatives agreed in principle that the necessary consequences would have to be decided in this case. Specific proposals for such consequences were not agreed. Only France's support for the German position on this matter became clear.
graduation
In conclusion, Merkel, Chirac and Kaczynski emphasized the importance of the discussion forum: "We are convinced that today, as in the past 15 years, we must work together within the framework of the Weimar Triangle to strengthen Europe and to fill the European idea with new life."
Individual evidence
- ↑ Official encounters. www.weimarer-dreieck.eu, accessed on February 8, 2017 .
- ↑ a b The “Weimar Summit” from Mettlach on December 5, 2006. weimarer-dreieck.eu, accessed on February 8, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d e Klaus-Heinrich Standke: 15 Years Weimar Triangle: A look back at the second Weimar summit in Germany. (pdf) Mettlach, December 5, 2006. weimarer-dreieck.eu, December 27, 2006, accessed on February 8, 2017 .