On June 7 and 8, 2003, in a nationwide Referendum, the Polish people decided that Poland was to join the European Union. The voice of the citizens was quite strong: 77% of the voters – for the EU, 23% - against. The attendance was almost 59%. There is no doubt that a majority of Polish citizens look forward to membership in the European Union as a true choice for Poland’s future. In fact, since the baptism of Poland in 966, this nation has been always part of European civilization, of Christian tradition and of European culture. Wars and treaties of the past shifted the Polish state far into the East. Still, Poland was a bridgehead of European civilization there, even when our country lost her sovereignty for 123 years (1795 – 1918) and for the last time, in the 20^th century, when the Yalta Agreements pushed us under Soviet communist domination for 45 years (1944 – 1989). What choice could a free Poland make again, in 1989? To stay alone between East and West, with a number of loose ties to her neighbors? Or to join the West as the “natural environment” for our historical tradition, religion and culture?

In the early 1990s, Poland began her “long march” to the united Europe, to the EU. The question then was not only the willingness of the Poles to adhere to the principles of the EU, but more the readiness of the 15 EU states to accept Poland into the integrated European structures. After many years of negotiations, the final solution became the acceptance of 10 more European nations to the enlarged EU, including Poland. By this act, the division of the “Old Continent” between the two political-economic blocks has been finally terminated. And a new era of the European cooperation and unity has begun. Poland is to join the EU on May 1, 2004.

One year before our acceptance into the EU, internal problems became the largest concern. Poland’s economic and social situation has become acute. The most important handicaps are: The Polish economy is deeply indebted, for almost PLN 400 billion (CAD 154 billion), over 2 times the yearly budget income or 50% of the GNP, where most of the debt originated after 1989 (it’s not a communist debt), and every year the government has to borrow about PLN 40 billion (CAD 15.3 billion); the Polish social security system is almost bankrupt, in spite of the fact that we pay one of the world’s biggest contributions to the National Social Security Fund (ZUS), moreover, every year PLN 50 billion (CAD 19.2 billion) or 1/3 of the total budgetary receipts must be additionally “pumped” into the NSSF (ZUS) to keep it running; in Poland we have very high and complicated taxes, every fully employed citizen gives 2/3 of his/her income to the state; we have the highest rate of unemployment in Europe, officially 20%, in fact up to 30% due to the under-reported employment in the countryside; the average net earnings in Poland are low, some PLN 1,100 (CAD 423 or USD 270) but the cost of living is high and mounting; the banking system in Poland is foreign-owned to about 80% and the foreign banks live on a huge mass of state-issued bonds sold to the banks by the government, this situation makes the bank credits very expensive and the high cost of credits renders the Polish economy uncompetitive in the world economy, as we have a trade deficit with almost all partners; Poland is a big importer and a relatively small exporter; in the past 14 years, the “restructuring” of Polish industry resulted in its disarray and huge losses, the state budget supports unprofitable industries, such as the coal mine industry and many parts of heavy industry; the Polish economy is slow and stagnating. The social problems are no less acute: unemployment creates large regions of poverty, the rate of crime is alarming (some 400 thousand persons commit crimes, while prisons hold only 70 thousand), corruption is really enormous, from the highest ranks to the bottom, due in part to the huge number of government and local administration officials (4 times the number in communist Poland); the state-sponsored medical system is collapsing (hospitals go bankrupt); the housing is too costly and very inadequate.

This is the burden Poland has to overcome when joining the European Union. It’s unlikely we could change the system, get rid of all these handicaps and improve the economy and the social side in just one year – by the May 1, 2004. Yet there are some positive changes: the economy is slowly strengthening and there’s a prospect of a deep reform of the state finances and taxes. According to an official publication (“Yes for Poland”), distributed by the President of Poland, in the years 2004 – 2006 we have to pay about 6.5 billion Euro to the common budget of the European Union but we shall receive over 19 billion Euro from the EU to finance agriculture and many other projects. But the effective use of the EU money depends on the legal and other conditions to be met. The economic links between Poland and the 15 states of the Union are close: 70% of Polish exports go to the EU countries, and 70% of all foreign investments in Poland, over 35 billion Euro in total, come from the present EU countries. Poland ranks 7^th on the list of world’s economic partners of the Union.

Will we be able to meet the requirements of the European Union? Not all at once, of course. The adherence, formally to begin on May 1, 2004, may be a long and painful process, with many temporary limitations imposed on Poland by the Union. But is there really another option for Poland? To stay alone means a steady down-drift and lack of economic and other security, to be squashed between East and West. As we do not have the potential of Norway or the riches of Switzerland, we have to follow the fold of other countries, joining the EU. The size of our country, its economy, and its population places Poland in the group of the six largest countries of the EU, with 8.5 % of the total population of the enlarged united Europe (some 40 M out of 453 million of EU citizens). The weakness of Poland is the burden to be overcome. In the past Poland engaged herself in a state-union with Lithuania (the Lublin Union, 1569). As pope John Paul 2nd, said before the Referendum: Poland had to complete her way “from the Lublin Union to the European Union”. From a union with one neighbor, to a union with many neighbors and partners of the enlarged and strong European Union. Back on her historical tract, from East to West.

Panorama Polska-The Polish Panorama, Edmonton, Kanada