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

该项目重点关注德国与Visegrád 4 （V4）国家的个别和集体关系。这是阿斯顿大学、伯明翰大学和位于柏林的主要智库雅克·德洛尔中心的合作项目。理解德国和四国之间的关系有助于我们理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，包括欧盟等机构内的双边和多边关系？该项目将采取一种微妙的方法，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，该项目将不仅有助于我们对该地区的了解，也有助于更广泛的区域研究领域。冷战结束后，德国和四国都不得不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进行导航。每个国家的欧洲身份的定义和影响将是这个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，以及作为欧洲人意味着什么。德国是否认同“西欧”的概念，这在它与四国的关系中是如何反映的？V4国家在多大程度上（在不同程度上）想要抵制欧洲一体化？双方感兴趣的一个核心领域是德国在欧盟的影响力，以及V4国家如何融入德国对欧洲项目的愿景。德国是愿意还是不愿意成为领导者？ V4国家在多大程度上认为德国是这样的？四国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，尤其是在英国脱欧之后？考虑到英国在还是欧盟成员国时就与德国和四国关系密切，英国脱欧还会带来哪些后果？英国脱欧为比较德国和V4国家对欧盟的承诺在多大程度上受到意识形态或实际考虑的驱动提供了一个案例研究。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国家则更多地关注英国脱欧对欧盟在东欧地缘政治影响力的影响。在英国脱欧谈判期间，两国各自的优先事项可以在很大程度上揭示它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，以及德国和四国在国际组织（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理念？两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，也可以揭示德国与四国之间未来的关系。

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.