Joint Declaration french-polish on the occasion of the First french-polish Bilateral Summit under the Treaty of Nancy.

As we celebrate today on the 20th of April, in Gdansk, the first Polish-French Friendship Day, and united by the Treaty on Enhanced Cooperation and Friendship, signed on the 9th May 2025 in Nancy, we reaffirm our commitment to a more secure, sovereign, democratic and united Europe and our common will to raise the level of ambition of our relationship in order to strengthen the security of Europe and Euro-Atlantic area, to enhance our competitiveness, to protect our democratic values which are at the core of the European Union, to uphold the rule of law and to defend and promote a rules-based international order.

Security & Defense

Through their friendship and enhanced cooperation agreement, Poland and France share common responsibility for the security of our continent. 

Russia remains the most serious, long term threat to the EU and NATO. Its military buildup, hybrid warfare, the illegal and illegitimate war of aggression against Ukraine deliberately undermined the European security as well as peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. Russia’s aggressive posture in Europe compels us to undertake measures aimed at ensuring a robust level of deterrence and defence, and to work together in exercising continued pressure on it. We are committed to fully implement existing sanctions and adopting new ones in order to further reduce Russia’s energy revenues and constrain Russia’s banking system, including continuing our effort in the fight against the shadow fleet.

We reiterate that remaining united in supporting Ukraine as long as it takes is a common security interest for the European continent and Euro-Atlantic community as a whole. We fully support Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. Just and long-lasting peace based on fundamental rules of international law is the only acceptable way out from the ongoing war. We respect and welcome the European and Euro-Atlantic choice of Ukraine.

We intend to accelerate of our joint efforts to swiftly achieve European defence readiness and to the development of a robust European defence technological and industrial base, including by increasing investment in defence capability development. 

Building on the European Defence Fund and the European defence industry programme (EDIP), which give preference to the procurement of defence equipment from European industries according to relevant criteria, we emphasize the importance of designing, in particular for the next MFF, and implementing the EU instruments that help reduce our strategic dependencies and reinforce our sovereignty on technologies. We also commend, in this context, the ongoing work between France and Poland on the Security Action for Europe instrument (SAFE).The implementation of the above will be compatible with the development of our national defence acquisition programmes. 

We will act together to strengthen the European pillar of NATO, including by increasing European contribution to NATO’s deterrence and collective defense, in particular on European critical military enablers such as integrated air and missile defense capabilities, Earth and space observation and communications. We will also further strengthen allied deterrence and defence through progress in increasing defence spending in line with the Hague NATO Summit declaration (2025) and capability development, ensuring executability of NATO defence plans as well as reliable fuel supply for military use in the Eastern Flank, and more proactive approach to deterrence and defence in order to impose costs on potential adversaries in case of aggression.

We express our intention to launch a bilateral high-level strategic dialogue on forward deterrence, in order to strengthen cooperation on European security issues in both their conventional and nuclear dimensions and with a view to complement NATO’s defence and deterrence.

We will intensify our operational exchanges and industrial partnerships to support the development of European defence capabilities, including in the areas of air and missile defence, deep precision strike, drone and counter-drone systems, outer space, ammunitions, cybersecurity, early warning, air transportation, air refuelling, critical infrastructure protection, reconnaissance and logistical support. 

We are ready to deepen our industrial cooperation in the field of military satellite communications, through a joint capability development programme, which will be a strong asset in building a more resilient, autonomous, and sovereign EU.

We also cooperate actively on ammunition production to develop Europe’s own capacities in that domain. This cooperation will be further illustrated by reciprocal participation in International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO and Eurosatory exhibitions.

Our countries will further develop cooperation between our armed forces by developing interoperability, stepping up joint exercises, and sharing experience in the planning and conduct of military operations, as reflected by Poland’s first participation in the ORION exercise in 2026 and France’s renewed participation in the DRAGON exercise in 2027. We will continue consultations on the security and defence of the Eastern flank of the EU and NATO.

We will also continue to cooperate closely in the space domain, for the benefit of both countries, particularly in the areas of Earth observation, Space Situational Awareness, satellite communications, including both operational cooperation and capability development, and in the run-up to the Space International Summit that will be held in France on 9-10 September 2026. We reiterate our support to the EU Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS2) programme, which aims to provide secure and resilient communications as a key element to strengthening the European autonomy in outer space.

We will also continue to cooperate actively in countering hybrid threats, including foreign information manipulation and interference, notably to defend the integrity of democratic electoral processes, both in the EU and within the framework of the European Political Community. We look forward to identify and discuss options to further strengthen the EU’s restrictive measures in response to hybrid threats, including the possible establishment of a horizontal EU sanctions regime.

The fight against criminality, especially organized and international crime, including drugs trafficking, is a priority for both France and Poland. We will also address it jointly at the next EPC Summit, and will coordinate to ensure the swift adoption of the new European sanctions’ regime addressing migrant smuggling, human trafficking or other forms of organized crime.

Competitiveness

We must deepen and expand our already strong economic, trade and investment ties and, together with other EU partners, advance Single Market priorities, including the Savings and Investments Union. Moreover, in line with the Competitiveness Compass for the EU and building on the Draghi report, we will continue to work together to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of our economies.

We will ensure the smooth simplification of business regulations and enhanced cooperation to make the new rules more unified. We will support the introduction of targeted and proportionate EU preference that will underpin a “Made in Europe” policy in key strategic and innovative sectors to strengthen our industrial resilience and economic security as well as support the integrity of the Single Market. 

Faced with distortive practices, the weaponization of trade, massive overcapacities in industrial sectors resulting in massive trade imbalances, we will push for an ambitious and holistic implementation of the EU economic security strategy through effective protection of our critical assets, companies, infrastructures and resources, and an approach based on dialog with our partners, deterrence through a more assertive and strategic use of the EU toolbox, and derisking of our most critical sectors. We will also simplify our regulations, eliminate barriers to improve the operating conditions of European entrepreneurs and seek to better leverage our internal market as a tool of EU sovereignty.

In the context of international tensions and soaring energy prices in the EU, priority will be given to alleviating high and volatile energy costs, enhancing energy sovereignty, completing a joint framework for decarbonization and competitiveness, and respecting the principle of the technological neutrality, both as regards access to EU funds and inclusion in all relevant EU legislation. We will continue to strengthen the integration of European energy market by investing in an efficient development of energy grids, in line with the principle of subsidiarity. In the context of European industrial competitiveness, we welcome the establishment of the Ministerial Alliance for Energy-Intensive Industries, and we will continue to work within this cooperation formula to strengthen the competitiveness of strategic industrial sectors.

We welcome Polish-French bilateral and multilateral close collaboration in civil nuclear energy, especially the Cooperation Plan signed on the 9th of May 2025. Since then, we have been striving to step up our cooperation both bilaterally and within the European Nuclear Alliance. We are looking forward to promoting a comprehensive partnership from skills development to industrial and scientific cooperation. We welcome the selection of the French turbine Arabelle for the first Polish Nuclear Power Plant project and ongoing discussion on training and human capacity building. We welcome the significant progress of the discussions between EDF and its Polish partners on the competitive dialogue for the second site. France and Poland will continue to promote industrial projects and cooperations in the field of new generation capacities, as well as new nuclear technologies, in accordance with the legislative and regulatory provisions applicable in both countries. France and Poland confirm their commitment to work together on the development and industrial scalability of nuclear technologies while ensuring the highest standards of nuclear safety, including in the context of the development of a potential EU Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on Innovative nuclear technologies, which could be pre-notified to the European Commission in 2027. We welcome in this context the confirmation of the certification of ASNR (Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire et de Radioprotection) by the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA).

We will enhance our cooperation in the organization of future editions of our bilateral Economic Forum and multiply business-to-business meetings. We will collaborate in the commercialization of technologies, fostering the growth of start-ups and scaleups, and developing a resilient, internationally competitive innovation ecosystem in both countries. This partnership will be reflected during the 18th European Economic Congress in Katowice to be held on April 22nd to 24th, where the French business community will have a pavilion for the first time.

We will enhance our cooperation in implementing EU legislation on sustainable transport and energy, including among others fuel, cross-border infrastructure planning, and the development of electric vehicles charging stations and hydrogen refueling networks, together with heavy-duty vehicles charging infrastructures. We also commit to strengthening the cybersecurity of transport and energy systems, to improve the competitiveness of the transport sector and its decarbonization at a global level. We will cooperate with the aim to reinforce connectivity of the European transport system, particularly via the development of an integrated mobility corridor, both on the infrastructure side (conventional and high-speed rail, airports, multimodal transport hubs and dual use infrastructure) as well as service wise, by enhancing our partnership in the infrastructure field. 

Following the recent signature of the agreement between CEA-Leti and the Polish Centre for Advanced Materials and Technology, we will develop our cooperation in the field of semiconductors, particularly for components used in the nuclear, defense and space sectors. This collaboration is also part of wider European efforts aiming to reinforce our technological sovereignty.
 

Values, Culture & Civil society, Sports

Marie Sklodowska-Curie, the first woman to be awarded the Nobel prize, was chosen to be the patron of the French-Polish Friendship day, a reminder of the deep human ties that bind our two countries. This friendship day is celebrated across both our countries, by civil societies organizations and local authorities through our decentralized cooperation, as well as in third countries. A Poland–France/France–Poland Season will be organized in 2027, the program of which will highlight both our shared historical heritage and key developments in contemporary culture, while strengthening cooperation among cultural organizations, artists and civil societies. Priority in cultural cooperation will be given to contemporary creation, the strengthening of creative sectors and cultural industries through mobility of artists and promotion of innovation, as well as to mobilization of civil societies for democracy.

In the context of the preparation of the Poland–France/France–Poland Season 2027, we welcome the reopening next month of the Polish Institute in Paris. The French Institute in Warsaw will be relocating soon to new premises better suited to its needs and the enhancement of our cooperation.
We welcome the presentation to Mr Andrzej Seweryn of the first edition of the “Bronislaw Geremek Award”, established from now on to honor a person or institution who made an exceptional contribution to strengthening our relations based on shared values of peace, democracy and European integration.

We will keep bolstering our research and higher education cooperation, including in the framework of the Weimar Triangle and notably through the second meeting of European Universities to be held in September 2026 in Warsaw.

We share the priority to make the internet and social media a safe place and to protect our children and teenagers from digital abuse, and will advocate other Member states to legally set a minimum age of access to social media platforms.

We share the belief that supporting European creation in the cinema and audiovisual landscape is key to fostering a European imaginary and passing on our stories to future generations. We therefore consider it essential, for both cultural diversity and fair competition, that all audiovisual services operating in Europe and benefiting from its audiences and markets contribute to European creation. We have agreed to discuss these objectives during a Franco-Polish co-production meeting, to be organized as part of the Poland-France/ France-Poland Season 2027.

We have agreed to share best practices on the organization of major international sporting events, drawing on France’s experience as host of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. We have agreed to continue our cooperation on a wide range of sporting challenges and to sign, in the coming months, a technical cooperation agreement on high-performance sport between, on the one hand, the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP) and, on the other hand, the Polish Institute of Sport –National Research Institute and the Central Sports Centre.

Remembering the large support of the French population for the Solidarity movement, the Governments of Poland and France gathered together in the city of Gdansk, the cradle of Solidarity, to bear witness to our strong attachment to fundamental European liberties and values, to confirm our joint commitment in the future and prosperity of the EU and the European continent, and to strengthen the fraternal bond between our nations.