Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland share a common cultural, social, and economic space. The German-Czech-Polish tri-border region has the opportunity to demonstrate what a vibrant Europe truly means for its citizens. To achieve this, the region’s real-world challenges must be addressed. In a series of three concise online debates, key issues in the border region were discussed: energy, infrastructure, and tourism. Even though the region faces various structural challenges, there are also many opportunities that can be seized, whether through strengthening the tourism sector or further developing the infrastructure. These opportunities—which provide the building blocks for regional cooperation—were the focus of the first trilateral dialogue event in Zittau, organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in collaboration with the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the Wilhelm Külz Foundation.

The topic “Energy Security: Three Countries, Three Approaches” kicked off the three-part discussion series on December 3, 2021. While Germany is rapidly phasing out nuclear power and coal—which currently remains an important economic sector in Lausitz—the Czech Republic relies on nuclear power to achieve its climate goals. At the same time, Poland continues to rely heavily on coal as an energy source. These differing approaches have implications not only for the economic future of the three countries but also for that of the tri-border region itself. One thing is clear: energy policy could become a source of conflict—or an opportunity for closer cooperation.

Participants in the debate included:

• Prof. Dr. habil. phil. Raj Kollmorgen, Prorector of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (D)
• Prof. Dr. Martin Neumann, energy policy expert, former Member of the German Bundestag (MdB), FDP (Germany)
• Ing. et Ing. Radek Jirků, Asset Management and M&A Analyst, Seven Energy (CZ)
• Marek Szolc, expert on climate change and energy issues, Nowoczesna (PL)
• Moderator: Markéta Boubínová, Journalist, Deník N (CZ)

Prof. Neumann (Germany) emphasized the need for mutual understanding and a European approach to efficiently ensure energy security in the future through the use of energy resources. Furthermore, he called for greater openness to technology in order to integrate ideas and technologies on a much larger scale internationally and to link alternative energy sources through digitalization, since renewable energy is not an infinite resource.

Prof. Kollmorgen (D) highlighted the driving force of experiences from regional cooperation in shaping international debates, with the aim of addressing divergent positions and the issue of supply security as a shared challenge, even within a regional context. Among other things, he referred to various initiatives in Saxony and contacts with Czech and Polish partners—including those from the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, which, as a regional educational institution, has good connections and is active in the region. Prof. Kollmorgen called for these experiences and insights to be incorporated even more strongly into European debates and for society to be more closely involved in the processes.

In the discussion about the Turow open-pit mine (PL),Radek Jirků (CZ) highlighted the need for cooperative action and for finding common solutions in the future. For him, this willingness to cooperate represents the change needed for the future—to collaborate more closely not only regionally but also internationally.

Marek Szolc (PL) underscored the cooperative approach and emphasized the effectiveness of regional cooperation from a Polish perspective. However, he sees a shift in the mindset of political decision-makers in Poland as a necessary prerequisite for this.

Logistics and transport as the most important economic factors

The second part of the debate on infrastructure and transport took place on Monday, December 6, 2021. Logistics and transport are among the most important economic factors in the region and the focus was on the question: "How can cooperation on major infrastructure projects in the three-country region be promoted across borders?"