Polish geopolitical concepts, at least from the Jagiellonian era onwards, emphasised solutions based on the integration of Central and Eastern European countries. Depending on the international political situation, they proposed federation and confederation (specifically, a union of existing states rather than a new entity). Whatever the form of integration, its purposes included: 1) ensuring security and the countries’ significant position within the European order; 2) creating a common economic area necessary to maintain a combat-efficient army, welfare of societies and deliver an increase in labour productivity; 3) pursuing complementary relations between three aspects, i.e., security, the status of regional economic and military power, and the formation of civic society based on the democratisation of social, legal, religious, and identity-based relations. From the Introduction