” “Poland: many uncertainties

Poland is one of the countries most advanced in the process towards European integration. “For a long time – declared the President of the Republic of Poland, Aleksander Kwasniewski, on visiting Rome at the end of February (cf. SirEurope no. 8/2002) – unification was the prerogative of the free nations that lived on the western side of the Iron Curtain. We, imprisoned on the opposite side, experienced a sense of deprivation, of the loss of something that belonged to us, because we too had contributed to its creation”. Then, finally, “with ‘Solidarnosc’ came the beginning of Poland’s turnaround and now the rigorous commitment to adjust to European parameters. “After the Union’s enlargement in two years’ time – continued the Polish president, referring to the probable entrance of Poland and the first group of other candidates into the EU by 2004 – the area of united Europe will coincide in good measure with its geographical extension”. Nonetheless for a large part of the Polish population EU membership is a challenge full of uncertainties and a source of deep concern. We spoke about it with Archbishop Henryk Muszynski of Gniezno, who is one of the bishops most alert to European questions within the Polish Episcopal Conference. “Reunifying Europe from West to East is a priority for everyone”, said Jacques Delors. Do the Poles share this conviction? “The majority of the population is conscious that there is no alternative to an enlarged Europe. But that doesn’t mean that grounds for serious concern don’t exist on the matter. In particular people ask what the European Union really represents and in what direction it is heading. The Union itself has undertaken a huge process of reform that might radically alter its profile; and so the question is posed: what principles will guide the new Europe? And what role will be recognized for the new members? These are the main questions that almost all of us are asking”. Where can exhaustive replies be found? “I think it would be very important to have as objective and wide information as possible on what the European Union is, what its objectives are, and what commitments are requested of member countries. I’m convinced that if people were to know better in what direction Europe is heading, they would be more willing to accept sacrifices to become a member of it. The journey towards the united Europe must be a gradual one, accompanied by the active participation of the people. Only in this way will the privations and sacrifices that it involves become better understood and more easily supportable”. What field of EU intervention is causing most concern to Poles? “Undoubtedly the agricultural sector is the one that is arousing the greatest concern, because it has a very significant place in the Polish economy. We know that, with entrance into the EU, we will have to reform the system of agriculture in Poland and this will also have an impact on those who work in this sector and on families. We are therefore following very carefully the ‘restructuring’ processes that the European economy will ask of us”. What is the role of the Church in the reflection on EU enlargement? “The Church is called to give hope, allay fears and defend the weakest sections of the community. it therefore mediates between the government and the people to ensure that the one listens to the other and vice versa. Moreover, the ecumenical dialogue between the Christian Churches is an essential way of ensuring that Poland may play the role of a bridgehead between Eastern and Western Europe that its geographical position naturally determines”. Ignazio Ingrao