Polish PM wants bigger role in EU

WARSAW - Poland's new Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has called for a bigger role for European Union (EU) newcomers in the bloc's decision-making processes and insisted that Poland will defend its "moral identity" within the EU.

"We are and we want to be in the EU, to participate in everything...But we want enlargement to mean real participation, not just formal participation (of new member states) in all decision-making mechanisms," Kaczynski, the twin brother of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, said in a policy speech to parliament.

"We will strive toward this end on our own but also with the Weimar Triangle" countries, which in addition to Poland include France and Germany, "and the Visegrad group", made up of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, Kaczynski said.

All four Visegrad countries joined the EU in May 2004 along with the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia; Cyprus and Malta.

Earlier this month, President Kaczynski pulled out at the last minute of a meeting with his Weimar Triangle counterparts, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, officially because of illness.

The press in Poland has speculated, however, that he pulled out of the meeting because he was upset by a parody of his twin and himself in a German newspaper.

In his policy speech on Wednesday, Jaroslaw Kaczynski also vowed to defend the moral values of overwhelmingly Catholic Poland within the EU.

"Poland wants to be in the EU...but we are different in terms of our customs. We will demand full sovereignty in moral matters," Kaczynski said, insisting that Poland would "preserve its moral national identity" within the bloc.

"We will do everything to defend the Polish family against all attacks, in particular from outside," he said.

Polish lawmakers in May spoke out against issues such as homophobia entering into official EU debate.

"Identifying with the moral Judeo-Christian heritage of Europe, the Polish parliament cannot approve the introduction into official EU texts of notions such as 'homophobia'," the lawmakers said in a statement.

And in January, Poland's powerful Catholic church described an appeal by members of the European Parliament for EU member states to tackle anti-gay discrimination and recognise same-sex couples as "contrary to the laws of nature."

"The appeal to member states' governments to grant equality to unions between people of the same sex and marriages infringes basic laws of nature and imperils marriage and the family," Poland's episcopal conference said in a statement.

In his policy speech in parliament, Kaczynski recalled that the Polish "constitution says that marriage is a union between a man and a woman."

Kaczynski was presenting the programme and policies of his government to parliament ahead of a vote of confidence in his cabinet.

I think the best option for Poland and other countries who don't want to be run by Eurocracy is simply to quit EU and remain in NATO. I know it sounds strange since many E. European countries saw EU Entrance as a rubberstamp of return to the Western Civilization after the Years of being part of the "Socialist Camp".

I agree with you that the idea behind the EU, a "united Europe" is something that is dismissed in eastern Europe from the very beginning. Poland is probably the nation with the strongest national pride anyhow. After living that long under foreign influence it is rather unlikely that they want to give up their newly gained national sovereignity. On the other hand the development of countries like Poland is directly dependent on the membership in the EU. Without the open market, without the subsidies and without the money from western Europe that is pumped into their infrastructure they will have to deal with a stagnant economy. Poland joined the EU in May 2004, and surging exports to the EU contributed to Poland's strong growth in 2004, though its competitiveness could be threatened by the zloty's appreciation. I.e. Farmers have already begun to reap the rewards of membership via booming exports, higher food prices, and EU agricultural subsidies. With that massive backing they can even afford the de facto socialist system of the Kacynski brothers although they still have the highest unemployment rate troughout all of Europe (as long as we speak about the big countries). From 2011 on Polish people will have the right to take up residence, to vote (in local parliaments) and to work EVERYWHERE in (western and eastern) EU-Europe. That is not just hot air, that means real freedom.

If we talk about NATO - the alliance is somehow a symbolic relict you can not eat in the meantime. After the cold war it lost much of its importance to Europeans. Security matters are secondarily on the safe European continent. Since the millitary threat of eastern Europe though Putin and Russia is not that eminent, the NATO membership is nice but of no real relevance. It is quite the same situation like in the rest of Europe. Therefore it is soley the economy that matters on the old continent. Since the US failed completely in investing money into eastern Europe execpt of some millitary installations and some millitary linked payback business, all important partners of Poland are Europeans.

The bitter fact: The EU is much more important than NATO to eastern Europe because of its huge positive impact on economy and society. This is something the Kacynski brothers and most other Poles know although many of them dislike it. Of course they are free to leave the EU, but I doubt that anybody would be crazy enough to do it.

For instance, can Poland keep it's Catholic character and keep large Muslim populations from moving to Poland from France, Germany and other original EU Member states ?

The numbers in the muslim populations in western Europe are quite stable since the beginning 80ties. Most of them are in clearly defined circumstances of living and it is extremely unlikely that there will be a Islamiac "flood" into Poland.

Polands catholizism and its basic values are something that is needed in all of Europe. It gives the continent the possibility to gain a basement again that will be more conservative and less Brussels-red-tape-centralized.

Therefore I believe on one hand, that the connection of Poland and "old" Europe can not be dissolved, on the other hand I am sure that the integration of "old" Europe will proceed. Maybe the Poles will opt not to take part in that process due to their national feelings, but they will be not able to stop it either (if we speak about France, Spain, Italy, Benelux and Germany). The idea behind Europe is different between the west and the east. Maybe we need some new definitions and more honesty between "old" and "new" Europe.

Kaczynski Bros Company are decent guys but somehow awkward on international arena which springs from their lack of suave. They are both quite proud, stubborn and distrustful. Apart from that I believe their vision of the world is even more good-evil oriented than that of GWB. This all makes diplomacy a little bit difficult for them.

I understand that Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski are distrustful in regard of Germany since they were born in the rubble that was left of the nazis in Warsaw. On the other hand we have to say that the war is over since 61 years now. The last generation that took part as soldiers is dying in the meantime. I do not say that we should forget the history but it is the time to overcome it. Germany changed and Poland changed for a new beginning. If the godforsaken history will remain the omnipotent issue between both countries nothing will turn to progress.

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