Visegrad Insight: Bienvenue Solution for NATO’s Eastern Flank
Article published in Visegrad Insight, on 03/06/2026
Franco-Polish cooperation may emerge as one of the most consequential strategic partnerships in Europe today.
Having not been on an official state visit to the country since 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron travelled to Gdańsk, Poland, in April 2026, marking the effective institutionalisation of the Nancy Treaty (2025). While the agreement, which entered into force on 22 January, includes economic, social and cultural components, its real significance lies in its geopolitical and military underpinnings for Franco-Polish cooperation.
The logic behind a closer Franco-Polish partnership is straightforward. Poland is building mass at speed, driven by a threat perception that leaves little room for ambiguity. France, for its part, remains Europe’s only military power combining nuclear deterrence, expeditionary experience and a full-spectrum defence industrial base. This comes as Poland positions itself as Europe’s future leading conventional military power. Defence spending is expected to rise to around 4.8 per cent of GDP this year, the highest in NATO.
