On May 9, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met in the French city of Nancy to sign a Franco-Polish friendship treaty. The agreement envisions wide-ranging economic and technological cooperation, such as on civilian nuclear power, and coordination in various policy areas from migration to infrastructure and defense.
The Franco-Polish rapprochement is interesting in itself, as Macron has for several years worked hard to mend France’s ties with Eastern Europe. But, more importantly, the two countries’ cooperation is part of a more fundamental development within Europe: the return of the big European powers.
Over the last few years, with Russia’s war against Ukraine and the breakdown of the trans-Atlantic relationship under U.S. President Donald Trump, the bigger European countries have multiplied their joint actions. France, Germany, the U.K. and, increasingly, Poland, are stepping up—a development which might simultaneously be a curse and blessing for the smaller European nations.