Poland needs fair deal to become a ‘second Ireland’
I am glad that Ireland is not in this group and that it fully shares Poland's concerns.
The British presidency's recent proposal does not bode well for Poland.
It is surprising to see the British draft because the new EU states remember the UK as one of the strongest proponents of EU enlargement.
The biggest losers in the new EU budget are the new EU members of central Europe, who would be required to give up €14bn of the €160bn earmarked for new roads and environmental schemes. Some countries tend to forget that enlargement was not just an act of moral justice and a gesture of goodwill.
Ten new members of the EU had to accept, after painful reforms, the standards, regulations and rules of the EU.
Our participation in the single market gave rise to an easy access to our markets to companies, banks, farmers, estate agents and other entrepreneurs from EU-15: these are measurable, huge profits for investors. We cannot imagine the NFP being deprived of that great value of European solidarity and assistance to the new members that require major development efforts.
It is not in our interest to see the question of the EU budget bring about a most serious crisis in an enlarged EU that badly needs to demonstrate it can work coherently.
Poland and Ireland, as well as 18 other members of the EU, accepted in June 2005, not without reservations and painful choices, the final proposal offered by the Luxembourg presidency of the EU council.
We did it with full awareness that compromises and concessions are necessary if we want to create a coherent, strong and united Europe that would be able to play her proper role in global affairs and act decisively, in unison, for the good of Europe and the world.
With €60 billion for the 10 new member countries, as proposed in June, Poland would be able in seven years significantly to catch up with western Europe, improving infrastructure and raising standards of environmental protection, which are matters of vital importance for the country's development, and for Europe.
All significant political forces in Poland are united in our determination to see a just, fair and balanced budget of the EU a sign of this stance was a joint statement of Prime Minister Marcinkiewicz from the ruling centre-right party PiS, and President Kwasniewski, for years close to Polish social democracy, now in parliamentary opposition.
We will make an effort to get a good deal at the European summit in Brussels using the new British proposals as a starting point.
We believe there is enough room for negotiations, more realism and solidarity. The EU needs the new budget as soon as possible, so it can start planning beyond 2007.
Poland must know how much it is likely to receive from Brussels so that we might start our preparations to use the funds thoughtfully, and so enable us to become a 'second Ireland' in Europe.
Witold Sobków
Polish Ambassador
Ailesbury Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4
