In reaffirming his commitment to Polish membership of the EU this month when addressing MEPs at Strasbourg, Polish President Aleksandr Kwasniewski argued that enlargement would not lead to a destabilisation of EU agricultural markets. He was responding to what he believed to be "excessive and, to a large extent, unjustified concerns" about the effects of Polish membership on the Common Agricultural Policy. Mr Kwasniewski contended that even a 30 per cent increase in the agricultural production of Poland - which would simply represent a return to the 1989 level of production - would have only a negligible impact on the level of prices of agricultural products in the EU.
In his speech the Polish President struck an upbeat note. His country, he said, had enjoyed one of the highest growth rates in Europe since 1993. It was mobilising substantial investments to aid the protection of the natural environment which amounted to almost 10 per cent of all investments in the Polish economy and 1.7 per cent of the national income - indices that were higher than in most member states. He also saw little reason why Polish accession would result in a mass outflow of Poles to their EU neighbours. Indeed the abolition of visa requirements for Polish citizens had been followed by more Poles returning to their country than leaving it. Unemployment was lower than the EU average and Poles were therefore able to satisfy their material aspirations without emigrating. Consequently Mr Kwasniewski concluded that Poland would be fully ready to join the EU by the end of 2002 and that membership was supported across the political spectrum. Polish accession would give a significant boost to political and economic stability in Europe and would also strengthen arguments in favour of internal changes within the EU. These changes, he declared, were vital if the EU was to become an effective and competitive body in the 21st century. He therefore warned against current member states slowing down the process of enlargement. Eventually he wanted the process to extend to other European countries beyond the first wave of applicants, and to include eventually states such as Ukraine, Moldavia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. "The grand European project should not leave anyone behind right at the outset," he stressed.
"Poland does not have to return to Europe," concluded Mr Kwasniewski, arguing that it had been within the circle of Western civilisation for over ten centuries. It had a parliamentary system that originated in the 14th and 15th centuries and wanted to be part of a Europe that for Poles meant "democracy, freedom, critical attitude, tolerance . .. with a recognition of equality of all cultures. Over the past years and decades," he said, "European politicians had manifested their farsightedness taking decisions which built the unity of their continent. He was convinced that this time it was also going to be the case."