Germany’s economy minister hails Poland as “example of great success”

Germany’s economy minister, Katherina Reiche, has praised Poland as an “example of great success”, saying that it offers a model for other countries.

Speaking at the fourth Polish-German Economic Forum in Warsaw, which she opened on Monday alongside Polish finance minister Andrzej Domański, Reiche. Reiche highlighted the deepening trade ties between the two countries.

She noted that bilateral trade last year exceeded €180 billion for the first time, up from €25 billion in 2000, reports Deutsche Welle.

Germany has been Poland’s biggest trading partner for decades, although recent data suggest that China, for the first time in history, overtook Germany as Poland’s largest source of imports in July this year.

Germany has also long been a major investor in Poland. But Reiche welcomed growing recent investments by Polish companies in Germany, which she said was helping to create jobs.

Earlier this year, for example, Poland’s largest manufacturer of trains and trams, Pesa, announced the acquisition of German rival HeiterBlick as part of its efforts to expand its operations across Europe.

Reiche noted that around 1,000 Polish companies have invested in Germany while about 1,600 German companies have invested in Poland, reports Reuters.

Poland’s largest manufacturer of trains and trams, Pesa, has announced the acquisition of German rival HeiterBlick as it seeks to expand its operations across Europe https://t.co/N1wE1aYL5m

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 12, 2026

Among leading German firms with a presence in Poland are carmakers Mercedes-Benz, which recently invested around €1 billion to build its first electric-only van plant there, which produces its Crafer vans at a plant near the city of Poznań.

Reiche also pointed to Poland’s stellar economic performance since joining the European Union in 2004, noting that its GDP has grown by an annual average of 3.8% over that period – twice the EU-wide average.

Poland’s economy is on the verge of becoming the 20th largest in the world, with the country hoping to become part of the G20.

Meanwhile, Domański used his remarks at the Polish-German Economic Forum to warn Europe against repeating past mistakes as it confronts a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.

He said the continent faced a “unique” historical moment. “The world is changing faster than ever, and we are facing new geopolitical, strategic, and technological challenges.”

Europe would need a strong economy and new sources of growth to meet those challenges, he added, warning against what he called “economic naivety” and urging Europe – and Germany in particular – not to return to its previous approach to Russia.

“I would like to state this very clearly: Europe must learn from the past. Under no circumstances can there be a return to the previous approach toward Russia. Poland will never agree to that,” Domański said, noting that this position applied in particular to renewed use of Russian energy imports.

“We will only be resilient once we are truly independent of external, unstable suppliers of raw materials,” he added, emphasising that Poland and Germany must “work together to modernise the European energy market, focus on technological change and bear security in mind”.

Debata ministra @Domanski_Andrz i minister @BMWE_ Katherina Reiche podczas IV Polsko-Niemieckiego Forum Gospodarczego.
💬 Powinniśmy skupić się na cenach energii, ale potrzebne jest znacznie bardziej zdecydowane podejście do ochrony rynku europejskiego. I nie chodzi tu tylko o… pic.twitter.com/NVPUjwx7jA

— Ministerstwo Rozwoju i Technologii (@MRiTGOVPL) October 26, 2026

Following the forum, Domański and Reiche attended a meeting of the Friends of Industry, an informal initiative bringing together EU member states to coordinate positions on industrial policy, competitiveness and the operating conditions for European industry.

The meeting was attended by representatives of 21 EU member states and European Commission Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné. Discussions focused on protecting and strengthening European industry’s competitiveness and economic security amid geopolitical challenges.

“Today, we are facing the consequences of the fact that, in the past, competitiveness was often relegated to second, third or fourth place. Competitiveness took a back seat to other priorities, with the result that European industry now faces serious challenges,” said Domański.

He proposed making competitiveness a core EU policy priority, cutting red tape, strengthening the single market, lowering energy costs, investing in strategic technologies such as AI, and tightening trade protections against unfair foreign competition.

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Main image credit: Ministerstwo Rozwoju i Technologii / X