How do I see the future of Poland in the European Union.

The European Union came into being due to the process which was started in 1951 by six countries - France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherladns and Luxembourg. At first ,these countries have arisen the European Steel and Coal Community.The main aim of it was to rebuild the economy of Europe, which was weak after the Second World War. In 1957 - under The Roman Treaty - these countries have arisen E.E.C. Since then, other countries have joined E.E.C. : Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland (1973),Greece (1981), Spain, Portugal (1986) and Austria, Sweden and Finland (1995). Recent name - The European Union - was introduced under The Maastrich Treaty in 1991.

The new, expanded E.U. will number 453 mln people. 8,5% of this will be polish citizens. Poland will be one of the six biggest E.U. countries. In the E.U. Council Poland will have 27 votes - the same amount as Spain and only 2 votes less than other, bigger than Poland countries as France, Gremany , Italy, Great Britain. In June 2004 we will choose 54 polish deputies to the European Parlament. We will have one polish commissioner in the European Committee. Poland will create european and world history.
In years 2004-2006 Poland will pay in to the E.U. budget about 6,5 billion euro. At the same time Poland will get over 19 billion euro from the E.U. Poland will be one of the three countries which will get the largest economic help.
Poland won’t loose it’s sovereign. Non of the united countries did. European Union is a voluntary association of countries which keep their full national sovereign. Entering the Union, Poland - so as France or Denmark - won’t loose it’s independence. In every member country the european citizenship is only a supplement for the national citizenship of each country, but it will give each “eurocitizen” many different privileges like freedom of moving, staying and working on the area of any other member country. Polish citizens will have the right to vote for the European Parlament.

As a member of the European Union, Poland will be much safer then it is now. Polish borders will be better watched and guarded. Poland will get neccesary money to improve it’s army , buy better weapons and navigation devices. Polish judicature will work better than it works now, international crime groups and corruption will be exterminated, maybe not immediately, but in a few years. I believe that local crime will also be better fighted thanks to changed, improved law, which will help penalizing criminals. Polish criminal law must be changed, because recetly it helps criminals by making penalizing them difficult for courts.

Joining the European Union Poland will also join the Currency Union. The European Committee has had a key role in the formulation of policy regarding the creation and introduction of the euro. The introduction of a single currency has been a longstanding aim of the European Union. The Committee has undertaken, and continues to conduct, extensive consultations with all interested parties to ensure the euro changeover is executed as smoothly as possible. Poland can make international salesment easier by replacing zloty with euro. Tradesmen won’t have to “look out” for the recent course of their currency, because all of them will pay with the same. It can enlarge the amount of transactions what can only help our national agriculture and industry.

Many people are afraid that Poland will be a second category member. I think it is not truth. I think so not only because Poland is one of the biggest countries in Europe. All of member countries have the same rights and duties. Reacher countries give financial help to the poor. Like I wrote above , we will have the same amount of votes as Spain - western Europe country about as big as Poland. We won’t have to worry that future Poland will have to “serve” other countries.

Poland won’t loose it’s national culture and tradition. We will still have our patriotic, national and religous holidays. We also won’t loose our national language. Polish language will become on of the official languages of European Union, next to English, German, Danish, French, Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish. Union has the same, reach cultural variety as it’s members, which take care of their tradition, art, language, history and architecture.

No other E.U. country will make decisions for Poland. Law in E.U. concerns only this fields of economy, which have to be common to improve the common market. For instance, the rules of financial help for agriculture have to be the same in all of the countries to avoid increasing differences beetwen agriculture in different member countries. After entering the Union Poland will take part in creating common law and won’t allow any decisions which are not consistent with polish costitution.

Thanks to financial help from the E.U. polish government will afford lowering taxes, and if the taxe were lower, opening and being in charge in any private business would be easier, receiving profits from it would be easier thanks to lowered taxes for business group.
Membership in the E.U. will increase the tempo of economic growth, therefore it will also increase the need for employment for the companies. Poland will get from the E.U. budget significant financial help for education, investments and action which can help fighting unemployment. Moreover, from the first day of membership on polish citizens will be able to work in several other E.U. cuntries with no obstacles, and in a few years polish citizens will be able to work in every E.U. country. They will receive higher wages, maybe not suddenly, but with time. Contrary to what many think and say, membership in the E.U. won’t cause serious price changes. Improvement of living conditions is one of the main aims of the Union. Thanks to market variety and consumers law protection the quality of sold products will get better. The natural enviroment will also be better protected, so believe that after we enter the E.U. we will live halthier and longer.

Entering the European Union for our country. But the membership itself won’t make our living conditions. Poland won’t change overnight. It is up to us to make things better! For example, Ireland was one of the poorest countries in Europe before it entered the E.U. Recently the wages of Irish citizens are higher then British or German. The E.U. can only help us to reach our aim, it gives us a chance. We have to take our chance and make the most of it.