The Changing Nature of Germany's Relationships with the Visegrad 4 Countries (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic)

该项目侧重于德国与维谢格拉德四国（V4）的个别和集体关系。这是阿斯顿大学，伯明翰大学和雅克德洛尔中心，一个主要的智囊团总部设在柏林之间的合作。了解德国和V 4国家之间的关系有助于我们了解欧洲内部的权力动态。这些动态的核心问题是：身份、历史、政治偏好和利益的相互作用在多大程度上塑造了双边和多边关系，包括欧盟等机构内部的关系？该项目将采取细致入微的方法，承认并强调政策领域之间关系的性质，质量和强度各不相同。通过探索贸易关系和经济依赖，国家和欧洲安全，移民和少数民族权利之间的潜在冲突，该项目不仅有助于我们对该地区的了解，而且有助于更广泛地进行区域研究。德国和V4国家都不得不在冷战后开始国家重建的过程，在国家主权、“东方”和“西方”概念、欧洲主义和全球化之间航行。欧洲身份在每个国家的定义和影响将是本项目的一个关键主题。分析每个国家对欧洲理念的承诺将基于探索每个国家对其国际角色和责任的看法，以及欧洲意味着什么。德国是否认同“西欧”的概念，这一点如何反映在它与V4国家的关系中？V4国家在多大程度上--在不同程度上--想要抵制欧洲一体化？人们感兴趣的一个核心领域是德国在欧盟的影响力，以及V4国家如何融入德国的欧洲项目愿景。德国是一个自愿还是不情愿的领导者，在V4国家中，德国在多大程度上被视为这样？V4国家是否会在欧盟和德国的外交政策中发挥越来越重要的作用，特别是在英国脱欧之后？鉴于英国仍是成员国时与德国和V4国家的密切关系，英国退欧的其他后果是什么？英国脱欧提供了一个案例研究，可以比较德国和V4国家对欧盟的承诺在多大程度上是由意识形态或实际考虑驱动的。德国在英国脱欧谈判中的立场强调欧洲一体化的基本原则，而V4国家则对英国脱欧对欧盟在东欧地缘政治影响力的影响有着更具体的地区性担忧。在英国脱欧谈判期间，各国的优先事项可以揭示他们对欧洲理念以及贸易和安全等问题的态度。与此同时，乌克兰战争为研究外交政策、国防和安全以及德国和V4国家在国际组织（特别是欧盟和北约）中的作用提供了空间。俄罗斯的入侵是否挑战了欧洲统一的观念？各国的不同反应是否会影响未来的经济和外交关系？这些问题既可以揭示冲突本身，也可以揭示德国与V4国家之间的未来关系。

This project focuses on Germany's relationship with the Visegrád 4 (V4) countries individually and collectively. It is a collaboration between Aston University, the University of Birmingham and the Jacques Delors Centre, a major think tank based in Berlin.Understanding the relationship between Germany and the V4 countries can contribute to our understanding of power dynamics within Europe. At the centre of these dynamics lies the question: to what extent does the interplay of identity, history, and political preferences and interests shape bilateral and multilateral relations, including those within institutions such as the European Union? This project will take a nuanced approach which recognises and emphasises that the nature, quality and intensity of relations vary between areas of policy. Through exploring the potential conflicts between trade ties and economic dependence, national and European security, migration, and minority rights, this project will contribute not only to our knowledge of this region, but also to the field of area studies more generally. Germany and the V4 countries all had to begin a process of national rebuilding after the Cold War, navigating between national sovereignty, concepts of 'East' and 'West', Europeanism and globalisation. The definition and implications of European identity in each country will be a key theme within this project. Analysis of each country's commitment to the idea of Europe will be based on exploring perceptions within each country of its international roles and responsibilities, and what it means to be European. Does Germany identify with a concept of 'western Europe', and how is this reflected in its relations with the V4 countries? To what extent do the V4 countries - to varying degrees - want to resist European integration? A central area of interest is Germany's influence in the European Union and how the V4 countries fit into Germany's vision of the European project. Is Germany a willing or a reluctant leader, and to what extent is it perceived as such in the V4 countries? Will the V4 countries play an increasingly important role in the European Union and in Germany's foreign policy, particularly following Brexit? What are the other consequences of Brexit given the United Kingdom's close ties with Germany and the V4 countries while it was still a member state? Brexit offers a case-study for comparing the extent to which commitment to the European Union is driven by ideological or practical considerations in Germany and the V4 countries. Germany's standpoint during the Brexit negotiations emphasised the fundamental principles of European integration, while the V4 countries had more regionally specific concerns about the impact of Brexit on the geopolitical influence of the European Union in eastern Europe. The respective countries' priorities during the Brexit talks can reveal much about their attitudes towards the idea of Europe and issues such as trade and security. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine offers scope for research into foreign policy, defence and security, and the role of Germany and the V4 countries in international organisations, specifically the European Union and NATO. Has Russia's invasion challenged ideas about European unity? Will the different responses of each country affect future economic and diplomatic relations? These questions can shed light both on the conflict itself and on future relations between Germany and the V4 countries.