The Weimar Triangle
Facts and things: The Weimar Triangle
When we talk about our Master's programme, we sometimes hear it referred to as the "Weimar programme", and the University of Opole even refers to it regularly as the "Weimar studies". But, you may ask? What does the city of Weimar have to do with it? Let us explain…
On 28th August 1991 in Weimar, the German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, convinced of the importance of European cooperation and a strong supporter of European Political Cooperation, brought together his Polish and French counterparts Krzysztof Skubiszewski and Roland Dumas to set up an additional cooperation tool between their three countries. The Triangle was thus established on that day and takes its name from this original meeting.
In concrete terms, it is a forum for informal meetings, dialogue and exchange between the three countries, not a formal cooperation agreement. The primary objective of the Triangle was to actively support Poland's integration into NATO's transatlantic security system and to prepare for its future accession to the European Union... While at the same time allowing France to be involved in German-Polish reconciliation, drawing on and expanding the exemplary experience of Franco-German reconciliation. These objectives were crowned with success: Poland joined NATO in 1999 and became a member of the EU on 1 May 2004. Summits within the frame of the triangle are still held regularly, mainly involving the heads of state of the three countries, foreign ministers or other ministers heading more 'technical' ministries – especially in case of a crisis to be dealt with trilaterally.
And, as the University of Mainz states on its website, when the Weimar Triangle was founded, the ministers concerned « surely had in mind projects like this trinational Europa Master. » A statement with which we can only agree!
Gabriel Beauvallet-Bauchet