” “Meeting of two cultures

“The political and economic reintegration of the European continent after half a century of forced division represents an historic opportunity for Poland; if managed correctly, the expansion of the EU will reinforce both the current member states, and those of central and eastern Europe”. Convinced of this is the vice-president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz , who intervened at a conference at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Rome on 17 June. However, in Poland , it is feared that the new system of agriculture required as a condition for EU membership may have negative repercussions on the national economy as a whole. “In the agricultural sector we have a need not so much for a general development plan as for individual projects diversified by area, and formulated in the context of regional development policies”, remarked the economist Jerzy Osiatynski , former Minister of Finance of the Republic of Poland. What’s needed, in his view, is “the supply of correct information to the rural populations both on the risks and on the advantages of EU membership”. According to the latest estimates, some 1,800,000 Poles are employed in the farming sector, 22% of the working population. For a reflection on enlargement and the future of Europe we interviewed the Polish film director Krzysztof Zanussi who will receive the international prize for Catholic culture at the Meeting of Rimini on 19 August. The Pope speaks of the need for Europe to breath with “two lungs”. What does that mean? “Countries like Poland are defined as Eastern European, but that is a mistake. The concept is not a geographical one (the Czech Republic, after all, is situated further to the west than Austria). It goes back to the time of the carving up of the continent at Yalta and the cold war. The European unity of which people speak is only Western. In the expression ‘Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals’, on the other hand, is also comprised the Europe of Byzantine culture. The two lungs of which the Pope speaks are the Latin culture and the Byzantine culture”. How would you define Poland today? “A country that is undergoing a very significant and positive transformation that has liberated many forces. The evolution of civil society is very strong. But there is also a grave cause for concern: the great disappointment to see that the most advanced part of Europe is also the most morally deteriorated. I’m not speaking of euthanasia, pornography, or drugs. I am thinking of the political corruption in Western Europe. The fact in itself does not upset me, what upsets me is that it has become the normality and that there is no particular reaction from people”. Where, in your view, should the cultural roots of Europe be sought? “Among the various cultures and civilizations in the world, only ours is based on the Judaeo-Christian inspiration which has created a technologically advanced civilization. It is this legacy that has given creative force to our civilization. There can be no doubt that the spiritual vision of Europe was created by Christianity. There are different components in Europe: pagan, Graeco-Latin and also a powerful component, the so-called barbarian one, which profoundly transformed Europe (after the collapse of the Roman Empire). And in a very paradoxical way that strikes me only now, we tend to associate democracy with Athens, with the Greek spirit, forgetting that it also produced the tyranny of the Byzantine empire. It was the barbarians, mixing with the Romans, who created the concept of modern democracy, not just the Greeks”. How can the young be reminded of these roots? “In Western schools, in recent years, perhaps due to the influence of Marxism, a great deal has been spoken of economic relations and little of mentality as a key element that determines modes of conduct. To define culture it worth returning to our religious roots, even if culture today may be defined as secular. It is the lack of this reference that is causing the confusion we are witnessing today”.