Thirty-five years after the establishment of the Weimar Triangle, its continued cooperation enjoys clear public support in Poland, Germany and France. At the same time, a public opinion survey conducted simultaneously in all three countries points to a significant weakness of the format: its limited visibility and insufficient presence in citizens’ everyday experience.
At least two-thirds of respondents in each country support maintaining or strengthening cooperation within the Weimar Triangle: 67% in Poland, 75% in Germany and 67% in France. Those in favour of weakening or ending the cooperation remain a clear minority.
At the same time, 69% of respondents in Poland, 48% in Germany and only 30% in France have heard of the Weimar Triangle. Despite these differences in awareness, 53% of Poles, 66% of Germans and 55% of French respondents consider the Triangle important for European integration and for shaping the EU agenda.
The biggest challenge facing the Weimar Triangle today is not a lack of public support, but its political invisibility. Citizens are willing to support this format if they understand its purpose and see concrete results
- says Małgorzata Kopka-Piątek, author of the analysis at the Institute of Public Affairs.
The survey was conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs, in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw. The full findings and analysis of public opinion in Poland, Germany and France are available in the publication:
Małgorzata Kopka-Piątek:
More Cooperation, Tangible Results. Key Survey Findings on the 35th Anniversary of the Weimar Triangle 
