Poland’s participation in the German-designed E6 group, which marks a return to the concept of a two-speed Europe, would be extremely unfavorable for Warsaw – argues Marcin Romanowski, former Deputy Minister of Justice from Law and Justice (PiS). “From Poland’s perspective, this project fragments Central Europe as a genuine political entity. By drawing Poland into the EU’s ‘core of integration’, it neutralizes its role as a bastion of freedom, normality, and transatlantic partnership. This includes pressure to adopt the euro and further concentration of power in Brussels – on terms fundamentally at odds with the strategic interests of Poland and the broader Central European region”, he said in a comment for the brusselssignal.eu portal.
Recently, including during a visit to Poland, Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs, Lars Klingbeil, presented the concept of E6 – a group of the six largest economies in the EU. Alongside Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, Poland would be included in the group. Klingbeil wants the E6 to “move forward faster instead of waiting for unanimity among all 27 EU countries”.
In practice, this represents a return to the previously promoted idea of a “two-speed Europe”. In Klingbeil’s vision, the challenges for the group of six include a capital markets union, strengthening the euro, coordinating defense spending, and securing supplies of critical raw materials. The E6 is also intended as an attempt to reduce Europe’s dependence on, among others, the United States.
In La Repubblica, Andrius Kubilius, the EU Commissioner for Defence, outlined a separate proposal for a Security Council composed of five states – Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland. He also expressed the need to create “armed forces numbering 80,000–100,000 soldiers, playing a significant role, serving as our backbone of security in Europe”. The concept envisages the establishment of a “European rapid reaction force”.
Romanowski: E6 Contrary to Poland’s Interests
In an extensive commentary published on brusselssignal.eu, Marcin Romanowski, former Deputy Minister of Justice from Law and Justice (PiS), addressed the German E6 proposal.
According to Romanowski, “this initiative amounts to an extra-treaty structural change in the EU’s decision-making process”.
“If the E6 initiative were to enter into force, it would constitute an important step toward de facto centralization through faits accomplis, strengthening the dominance of Germany and France and enabling key policies – from energy to defense – to be shaped in line with the interests of the largest players. From Poland’s perspective, this project fragments Central Europe as a genuine political entity. By drawing Poland into the EU’s ‘core of integration’, it neutralizes its role as a bastion of freedom, normality, and transatlantic partnership. This includes pressure to adopt the euro and further concentration of power in Brussels – on terms fundamentally at odds with the strategic interests of Poland and the broader Central European region”, he assessed.
The former deputy minister argues that the threat posed by the E6 lies primarily in “accelerating mechanisms of dominance by the largest member states and deepening EU centralization at the expense of national sovereignty”.
“For Poland, this would mean gradual entanglement in a potentially disastrous mechanism of a system designed in Brussels, in which Warsaw – even as a formal participant – would remain a marginal and ultimately unnecessary partner”, he added.
“Poland Will Lose Its Regional Leader Status”
He also sees risks for transatlantic policy, noting that “a large-scale disinformation operation is being conducted to turn Poles away from America and President Trump” and “to reshape Poland’s traditionally pro-American sympathies”. According to Romanowski, Poland’s entry into the E6 “would limit its room for maneuver and weaken its ability to build broader coalitions”.
“As an initial step in an advanced centralization project, the E6 would in practice create a two-tier Europe and disrupt the existing balance within the EU. The creation of such an inner circle – and Poland’s inclusion in it – would weaken relations with the Visegrad Group, the Baltic states, and eastern partners, undermining Poland’s role as a bridge between ‘old’ Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe. It would also mean the loss of Poland’s position as a regional leader. In practice, this would significantly weaken Central Europe as a whole, abandon ambitions of becoming a truly equal ‘second lung’ of the continent, and open greater strategic space in this part of Europe for Russia and China, which are seeking access routes to the Atlantic”, the former deputy minister emphasized.
Participation in the German project could also weaken Poland’s security priorities, mainly by undermining transatlantic cooperation, which Germany would steer. At the same time, within this format Poland would likely be obliged to make economic decisions that are unfavorable or only moderately beneficial to the country.