German-Polish relations are of extraordinary importance for both sides. Since 1989, these relations have developed an unparalleled dynamism on the basis of the German-Polish Good-Neighbourliness Treaty concluded in 1991. The two countries’ close partnership in the European Union and NATO provides a firm foundation for these relations. Moreover, Poland, Germany and France have worked closely together since 1991 within the framework of the Weimar Triangle. The focus in this constellation is on high-level political contacts, as well as trilateral cooperation in the fields of culture and civil society. 2026 is a special anniversary year, as Germany and Poland will celebrate 35 years of the German-Polish Good-Neighbourliness Treaty and 35 years of the Weimar Triangle with France.

Political dialogue encompasses not only numerous bilateral contacts, but also the German-Polish intergovernmental consultations and meetings of the German-Polish Intergovernmental Commission for Regional and Cross-Border Cooperation. There are frequent high-level political visits between the two countries.

More than 500 town-twinning arrangements, and the partnerships between German Länder and Polish voivodeships also underpin the breadth and closeness of relations between the two countries. Cross-border youth exchange, in particular through the German-Polish Youth Office, is a strong pillar, with projects that have already involved more than three million young people.

The two countries’ economies are also closely interlinked. For more than two decades, Germany has been Poland’s most important partner for trade and investment. Poland is Germany’s fifth-largest trading partner.

Measures to support the learning of German are a priority of German cultural relations and education policy in Poland, where approximately two million people are learning the language, giving the country the highest number of German-learners worldwide.

The German minority in Poland numbers between 300,000 and 350,000 people, according to its own estimates. It is the largest of Poland’s 13 recognised national or ethnic minorities.

Approximately two million Poles and people of Polish descent currently live in Germany. They are the country’s second-largest group of non-German origin.