Otvoriť - EUROREPORT plus

Summary
Let me kindly point out that under Poland
Chairmanship era there were fifty-three
brand-new legal rules signed and more
than one hundred cases were accomplished
on the EU Council level. Under not easy
circumstances we succeeded to conclude
many negotiations of high importance, e.g.
„the six measures package”, to complete
the EU integration procedure of Croatia, to
terminate the talks on the association treaty
with the Ukraine and to sustain the Eastern
Partnership issue in the EU agenda being
significant for all the countries of the region.
Further, we reached that a decision was
adopted on establishing the European Fund
for Democracy and last but not least that
the EU Council procedure was controlled
efficiently. Politicians and diplomats of other
member countries have agreed upon that
position of Poland in the EU got strengthened
after the chairing term expired.
■■ The Government of Poland has outlined
and determined the reforms in a row to be
implemented. Many of them seem to be unpopular.
What is the standpoint of the Poles
and which reforms have been already launched?
Painful reforms inevitable under the
crises are always unpopular. Poland is not
an exception. However, the ruling Cabinet
of Poland succeeded to trace its „modus
vivendi” and to balance the inevitability to
launch those reforms and to sustain a backup
of the society. To be frank we would fail to
implement any reform without the support
of the society. Both economic achievements
of ours over the past years and the abovesaid
2012 prospects are the best proof of
evidence that our governmental policy is
correct.
Obviously, launching some of the reforms
brings problems and conflicts. Introduction
of the law early this year which is regulating
the terms of medicines refund is the case.
The issue is of importance from the social
and economic viewpoints. In the past the
favourable societal climate governing Poland
assisted the pressing issues of this kind to
have been always solved out.
■■ After Poland’s accession to the EU, the country
got obliged to accept common currency.
How do the Poles perceive the euro problems
and stagnation due to the EU crisis?
The Poles similarly to citizens of other
member countries in the past which had
already introduced euro, are declaring
their tightness to national currency. This,
however, has no interlink with the fact
that Poland got obliged to accept common
currency after the EU entry. The ruling
Foto: archív
Cabinet of Poland is ready to take final
steps to reach the goal. Current Euro-zone
standing is nothing but pessimism and
the Poles are concerned with the raised
problems in some Euro-zone countries.
Globally speaking, we remain to be
optimists so thus, we may predict that
after the existing problems in Euro-zone
are solved out the Poles may support the
introduction of euro currency.
Excerpt from an Interview with
the Foreign Affairs Minister of the
Slovak Republic, Mikuláš Dzurinda
■■ The Republic of Poland was chairing the
EU after Hungary when Slovakia’s one year
V4 leadership had come to an end. What impulses
have been delivered to Poland by the
Visegrad Group?
The Eastern Partnership agenda turned
to be the most significant priority headed
by Poland being in Chairmanship. It is the
all V4 countries priority. We did back-up
the steps taken by chairing Poland aimed at
prime targets: to strengthen and to extent
cooperation with our Eastern partners. Just
under the EU Chairmanship of Poland,
the V4 Group agreed to design a new
programme of the International Visegrad
Fund determined to support civic society,
reforms and democracy in six Eastern
Partnership countries. The V4 Group
launched impulses needed to sustain
dynamics and accessibility of the procedure
targeted to the European Union expansion
primarily on the Western Balkan. Thanks to
the V4 Group, Croatia will be the 28th EU
member country next year.
■■ Radoslaw Szikorski, Polish counterpart of
yours, addressed a historical challenge in Berlin
last November: “I request from Germany
to help the Euro-zone to survive and prosper
for the sake of all countries involved. You are
quite concerned that no one else can do so.”
Mr Szikorski delivered his concern about Germany’s
inactivity more than about German
force. Are those words of the grounds?
It is obvious that any Euro-zone country
and so does the EU really cares to have
the Euro-zone to its entirety. Germany, of
course, also cares about entire Euro-zone
showing its responsible approach towards
the debt crisis. Therefore, it would be unfair
to blame Germany from being inactive.
Principally speaking, I can understand Mr
Szikorski, the Foreign Affairs Minister,
saying that he emphasizes an importance
of Germany to save euro. We
are aware of that Germany is
the key Euro-zone member and
the most important economy.
Jointly with France both of them
are representing the Euro-zone’s
„economic drive”.
■■ Which steps made by Poland under
the EU Chairmanship do you
consider of the utmost contribution?
Preceding Chairmanship of
Poland can be assessed positively.
It was demanding and tough
job as debt crisis in Euro-zone
dominated over other pressing
issues the most. Just at the
beginning the treaty reached with the
European Parliament and six legislative
drafts adopted in order to enforce
economic management were of the
extraordinarily important contribution.
Poland in Chairmanship was active to
back up cohesion first. So we do assess
positively the negotiations headed by
Poland in interest of future multiannual
finance framework to be adopted.
On the European Council session in
December, the tentative agreement was
reached on fiscal union. Therefore, it is my
wish that strengthening of economic control
that is continual procedure is doing well.
Concurrently I am not happy to say that
compliance with alterations to the European
contracts to be made at EU27 failed.
From the viewpoint of Slovakia’s valuebased
foreign policy I appreciate the
Eastern Partnership summit was held, so
thus, new stimuli were raised to develop it
further. I consider extremely important that
the policy of expansion was approved to
be continued. Successful accomplishment
of integration efforts made by Croatia is
signing of accession agreement at the end
of Chairmanship of Poland.
English-written by © Mária Vrabcová
78 Časopis na prezentáciu Slovenska v Európskej únii