Poland rules out return to 'business as usual' with Russia, minister tells Polish-German forum

Poland will never accept a return to "business as usual" with Russia, including the use of Russian gas and other raw materials, Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański has said.

Polish Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański (right) and German Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche addressed the media at the Polish-German Economic Forum in Warsaw on Monday.

Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

Speaking in Warsaw on Monday at the opening of the fourth Polish-German Economic Forum, attended by Germany's Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche, Domański directed his remarks at Poland's western neighbour.

He said Europe must learn lessons from the past, and that under no scenario could there be a return to "business as usual" with Russia.

Poland, he stressed, would never agree to that.

Domański said Europe needed a strong economy to meet new geopolitical, strategic and technological challenges, and had to rid itself of what he called "economic naivety."

That meant prioritising growth, cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, building competitive energy markets and taking a responsible approach to technology.

He added that Europe should pursue further deregulation while keeping security in mind.

Later, at a joint press briefing with Reiche, Domański said Poland was seeing more investment from Germany, while Polish firms such as the tram maker Pesa, from Bydgoszcz, were also investing across the border.

"Poland is the fastest growing economy in Europe, but Germany is the largest," he told reporters, adding that Warsaw was pleased that forecasts for its neighbour were being revised upwards.

"We believe there is more to be done in terms of deregulation or simplification, protecting our European producers, especially from the car industry, from the chemical industry," he added.

The forum, organised by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) and the Polish-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK), brings together government officials and business leaders from both countries.

Discussions are focused on high-tech infrastructure, security-related investment, economic transformation and the protection of critical infrastructure.

Minister @Domanski_Andrz otworzył wspólnie z Katheriną Reiche, federalną minister gospodarki i energii @BMWE_ IV Polsko-Niemieckie Forum Gospodarcze. W wydarzeniu bierze udział ponad 330 podmiotów z Polski i Niemiec. 💬 Stajemy przed nowymi wyzwaniami, dlatego tak ważne jest, abyśmy wspólnie szukali nowych silników wzrostu dla europejskiej gospodarki, a jednocześnie, abyśmy pozbyli się czegoś, co nazywam gospodarczą najemnością. Musimy twardo postawić na gospodarkę, na wzrost gospodarczy, na walkę z niepotrzebną biurokracją, na budowanie konkurencyjnych rynków energii, na odpowiedzialne podejście do technologii - mówił minister Domański. @PAIH_pl @ahkpolska

— Ministerstwo Rozwoju i Technologii (@MRiTGOVPL) October 26, 2026

This year marks 35 years since Poland and Germany signed a treaty on good neighbourship and friendly cooperation in 1991.

Germany remains Poland’s most important trading partner and the biggest buyer of its goods, with an estimated more than a quarter of Polish exports going there.

(ał)

Source: PAP, IAR