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Materials and Documents
No. 10/2001
Speeches and Addresses
Address
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, during the German Unity Day
rd
ceremonies, Mainz, 3 October, 2001 ........................................................................................................ 3
Letter
of Mr. Jerzy Buzek, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, to Mr. Romano Prodi, Chairman of the
th
European Commission, Warsaw, 5 October ........................................................................................... 13
Declaration
of Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, during a press conference, Warsaw
th
7 October, 2001 ....................................................................................................................................... 20
Address
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, during a meeting with young people
th
from Israel, Warsaw, 10 October, 2001 ................................................................................................... 24
Letter of Congratulations
of Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, to Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General
th
of the United Nations, Warsaw, 12 October, 2001 .................................................................................. 27
Address
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, during the inauguration of the
th
academic year in the Police Academy, Szczytno, 16 October, 2001 ....................................................... 28
Address
th
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, during the inaugural sitting of the 4
th
Diet of the Republic of Poland, Warsaw, 19 October, 2001 .................................................................... 31
Address
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, during the inaugural sitting of the
th
Senate of the Republic of Poland, Warsaw, 20 October, 2001 ............................................................... 37
Exposé
th
of Mr. Leszek Miller, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Warsaw, 25 October, 2001 .................. 42
Chronicle
October 2001 ............................................................................................................................................. 63
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ADDRESS
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski
President of the Republic of Poland
during the German Unity Day ceremonies
Mainz, 3rd October, 2001
Ladies and Gentlemen!
It is a great joy for me to be here among you on a day that symbolises a new chapter of
German history. In the name of Poland and Poles I thank you for the invitation. We
appreciate this gesture that expresses friendship and closeness. In a certain sense this
is as though all Poland had been invited to participate in the German holiday, invited to
share the common joy and reflection
We are meeting in a place that gives our reflections a historical perspective and sets it
in a universal, European context. Mainz – the inheritor of Roman traditions, the city of
Gutenberg, the pearl of science and arts, a city that suffered so greatly during World
War II and was so meticulously rebuilt – causes us to meditate upon those threads of
German history in which the entire history of Europe is reflected.
We also remember that in the first half of the 19 th century the voice of German solidarity
with Poland, which then was fighting for freedom and independence, resounded from
here – from Mainz and from the Rhineland Palatinate. The Mainz Committee of Help for
3
Poland and the memorable manifestation in the castle in Hambach were expressions of
the conviction that people who thirst for freedom and democratic liberties form a large
community that transcends national borders. Only last year an important meeting took
place in the castle in Hambach. Together with German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
and French President Jacques Chirac I participated in the summit of the Weimar
Triangle states. What was once only a dream of unity and co-operation of people today
is assuming concrete shape.
Independent, democratic Poland thinks of united Germany favourably and with hope.
For many centuries we looked at Germany first and foremost as a powerful neighbour,
and that was the source of our geopolitical fatalism. Now we look at Germany first and
foremost as a partner with whom we are joined by a community of interests; with whom
we can work together to benefit from the opportunities of our times. United Germany is
at the centre of Polish thinking about our relations with others, about the challenges of
the future, and about a united Europe.
We regard German Unity Day also as an important date in Polish history. We remember
that concurrence of events. Polish August 1980 and the „Round Table” agreements in
1989 changed not only Poland but also Europe. What had been divided by the „Iron
Curtain” began to grow together again. When the world held its breath, admiring the
speed of the Polish changes – at the same time it was keeping its fingers crossed for
thousands of Germans from the German Democratic Republic who fled to freedom
through the ever more porous borders. When the Berlin Wall fell, news of this found the
German Chancellor during his visit to Poland, a changed Poland, full of hope, and with
the first democratic government after the war. Several days later Polish Prime Minister
4
Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Chancellor Helmut Kohl exchanged embraces that passed
into history. The sign of peace transmitted in Krzyżowa was stored in memory as a great
sign of reconciliation between Poles and Germans. And when eleven years ago the
German nation was reunited – we in Poland, although not without questions, received
this development with joy and hope. For that fitted in with our aspirations. For in this way
the „Iron Curtain” crumbled and the so-called „eastern bloc” passed away into non-
existence. Poland now had an open road to the west, to the world of freedom and
democracy, to the European circle of culture, to which we always felt we belonged, and
to a uniting Europe.
Poles and Germans displayed great wisdom in managing to take advantage of this
exceptional time, when the clock of history began to tick loudly, not only for carrying out
internal changes but also for building a bridge between our nations. The 1990 treaty on
borders cleared away uncertainty and built trust. The treaty on good-neighbourly
relations of 1991 laid the foundations of co-operation and turned out to be dash to the
future. When we take in the 20th century; when we delve into the labyrinth of history
through which our nations had to pass – we see how great the scale of the common
success is. More than half a century ago towards the end of a bloody war, our splendid
poet Julian Tuwin expressed the universal feelings of Poles and asked for „an eternal
gulf from the west”. Today there is not only no gulf, but rather there is a special
understanding. Germany is Poland’s closest partner in Europe and an ally in the
defence of common values.
In the name of my countrymen I would like to express gratitude to and admiration for all
Germans who with determination worked to overcome the historical, political and
5
psychological barriers that had separated us from each other. I wish to thank all those
who, guided by their conscience, good of the nation, and voice of their humanity –
laboriously built reconciliation; to those living in the world of culture and to those
fostering development in the economy and social life who called for a dialogue between
our nations; to those who, guided by the vision of a united Europe – created a
partnership between the two biggest countries in the centre and heart of our continent.
This procession of figures and institutes is long. On this special day and in this special
place I pay tribute to the thought of Konrad Adenauer and the work of Willy Brandt, the
achievements of Richard von Weizsäcker, Roman Herzog, the accomplishments of
Marion von Dönhoff, Karl Dedecius and Günter Grass. I express admiration for the
deeds of the German bishops, activists of Signs of Penance and „Pax Christi”. I deliver
thanks personally to President Johannes Rau and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder for the
present generation of German politicians. This was a great thing.
In this august body we all have the feeling that Polish-German relations have entered a
new phase – not only because the symbolic sign of that is the beginning of a new
century. While the political climate for co-operation is very good, the average Pole is still
rather alien to the average German. Commentators write that our interstate relations are
so correct as to be boring. That is reason to be happy. However, what must sadden us
is the indifference with which our two societies sometimes treat each other. If we really
want the partnership in the Polish-German symbiosis to turn into a new quality – it is
time for co-operation in which millions will take part; co-operation that from cabinets and
congress halls will pass to firms, schools, editorial boards, cinemas and sidewalks; co-
6
operation that will bear fruit in new acquaintanceships and friendships, common
undertakings and a common vision of the future.
To be sure, this cannot be decreed or ordered. Poles and Germans have a historic
allergy to „hand steering” our likes and dislikes. Interests must be directed to the place
where the pulse of the present day beats the strongest. I would like the words that we
heard uttered in this hall to come true, namely, that we are very close, next to each
other not only as societies and states, but that we are with each other, that we are
together.
The results of recent sociological studies that draw the image of our nations in the
period of the enlargement of the European Union are striking. The picture of the
average Pole that emerges from the pronouncements of Germans is not such as we
would like. The features stressed are backwardness and religiosity, which is not
necessarily a compliment. More than half of Germans do not believe that Poland has a
market economy; they speak of poor organisation of work in our country. In turn, for
Poles the typical German is a disciplined and responsible worker but lacking warmth,
lacking kindliness and a sense of humour. These stereotypes exist and we must be
aware of them. Let this occasion, let our meeting in Mainz, be an occasion to overcome
such stereotypes. Let the news flow to Poland that we are in a land of splendid
traditions, cheerful and hospitable people and great wines and that there are many
places in Germany that Poles should discover, just as there are still many places in
Poland that Germans should discover.
Without overcoming mutual stereotypes it will be hard for Poles and Germans to find a
common language of everyday social relations. I want to believe that we will do
7
everything possible to make our economic, cultural and political co-operation also bring
joy to our societies. I would like to see us shape the 21 st century together not only in
Central-Eastern Europe but also on the entire continent.
A great deal already has been done. Many great undertakings already have been
developed that are leading us towards the wished-for goal. I highly value the role that
the Polish-German Youth Exchange Organisation has been playing. Polish and German
students together are gaining knowledge in the European University Viadrina in
Frankfurt. An important part of this school on the Polish side of the Oder is the
Collegium Polonicum in Słubice.
Gestures of German appreciation for and interest in Polish culture and for the road that
contemporary Poland is travelling invigorate us. Good news for all of us was the recent
awarding of the German Great Cross of merit to Andrzej Wajda and of the prestigious
Prize of the Bertelsmann Foundation to Leszek Balcerowicz, Tadeusz Mazowiecki and
Adam Michnik. These are important gestures and signals.
Our economic co-operation is developing dynamically, making Poland Germany’s most
important trading partner in Central-Eastern Europe. There are many forms of cross-
border and regional co-operation.
A good example is our host Rhineland Palatinate, which although far away from Poland
geographically co-operates with Opole voivodeship. A group of teachers from Rhineland
Palatinate is now in Warsaw and Opole. Many meetings of local government circles are
also taking place. I know of the great friendliness of Prime Minister Kurt Beck and
Speaker of the Landtag Christoph Grimm.
8
I would like to call your attention to a certain fascinating process that after 1989 has
been taking place in some local communities in Poland. I have in mind the growing
interest in German traces, keepsakes and paths of people’s destinies that centuries of
German history left behind. That interest can be seen in Gdańsk, Wrocław, and
Kołobrzeg and in smaller cities. This process concerning a picture of the past will have
an influence on the future.
A painful void is being filled whose existence was obvious but was hushed up under the
dictate of official propaganda. Every city is continuity; it lives not only here and now, but
it also has its centuries-old roots. Despite wars and political upheavals that have
changed so much, the past speaks to us. The stones of Gdańsk and Kołobrzeg speak
not only in Polish but also in German. I think that brings Poles and Germans closer
together. The offspring of those who long ago had to leave their homeland on the Bug
today regard the Hanseatic past of their city as part of their spiritual identity.
The ethnic way of viewing history, culture and politics is departing. It turns out that
patriotism and national pride do not conflict with the building of a new identity that
contains multicultural and universal threads. The road that is leading our nations
towards each other – even along paths that on account of historical memories seem the
most twisted and painful – is a good road.
I mentioned many examples of Polish-German co-operation, but permit me to stay with
the thesis that we still have a lot before us. I know that the guest of last year’s German
Unity Day was the President of France. That sequence of events in some way points the
way to the future. Germany and France created a phenomenon of co-operation that
9
astounded Europe. We would like to repeat this success. We would like to create such
a quality of Polish-German reconciliation.
Poland’s most important goal is joining the European Union. I am convinced that
Poland’s presence in the Union will strengthen Polish-German relations. We must be
aware that differences in economic development or civilisation are not conducive to co-
operation; they will not disappear other than in a system of communicating vessels. In
the specific system that is the European Union, where everyone gains and everyone
wins, where one does not have to pay for co-operation and integration, Polish-German
co-operation to an ever-greater degree is becoming a function of European integration.
Germans understand that. We know that the European project is at the very centre of
German politics. For many years, especially recently, Germans did more for united
Europe than perhaps anyone else. The same think can be said about what they did for
Poland – about German support for our aspirations to join the Union. We are deeply
grateful and are expecting a happy final outcome. Here, on German Unity Day I would
like to use this occasion to appeal to finish this process relatively soon and with
complete success. Poland is convinced that integration is necessary so that the former
Yalta divisions would not cast a shadow on European security, trust and the
development possibilities of our continent and civilisation. Postponing integration would
lose an historic opportunity. The vacillation of West Europeans combined with the
frustration of East Europeans, like a mutually self-propelling mechanism, could start to
produce uncertainty and instability. The walls have fallen down, but it depends on us
whether they have fallen for good. They must fall once and for all.
10
Poland with its history belongs to western civilisation and is also open to the east. It is a
natural bridge for European integration. United Europe should go beyond the
Carolingian form and utilise all of the cultural codes and communities that over the
centuries have created our history. Europe without its central part, from the Baltic to the
Black Sea, with the natural connecting link with the east, will always be incomplete. Its
possibilities in the face of the challenges of the 21 st century will also be incomplete.
We are speaking of Europe, but some new and terrible has taken place in the world.
The world will never be the same again. After the terrorist attacks in New York and
Washington we have to temper our optimism as to the direction in which the global
community will develop. To be sure, in the past we had never exhibited naďve
enthusiasm, for we were aware of all the difficulties and limitations. However, let us
admit that we were prone to regard as the beginning of the new century the end of the
Cold War that led to a climate of détente; faith in the causative force of international co-
operation; the belief that we are capable of warding off dangers and building bridges
between people. We are not abandoning this faith, because our civilisation rests on it.
However, perhaps the new century started with the explosions in Manhattan. We have
the feeling that dark clouds are gathering over us and our solidarity and close co-
operation are needed to disperse them.
We are living in a world of ever-stronger mutual ties and interdependencies. However,
the fact that globalisation is an inevitable process independent of our will does not mean
that we must succumb to fatalistic thinking, that we can only choose between approval
of or opposition to this process.
11
We regard globalisation as a great opportunity, as a challenge and task for our
generation. So we cannot ignore concerns. We must be aware that divisions between
civilisations and differences in living standards between the richest and poorest
countries are not narrowing in the wake of globalisation.
So let our generation democratise the globalisation process; let it make its contribution
to overcoming barriers and lines of division, including the new ones that have been
arising recently. The changing and expanding European Union will have a special role to
play here. I do not conceal that I am counting on Germany to be the spokesman in
Europe of this way of thinking about the future.
Mindful of all of this, we see that Europe today needs convincing unity if it wants to bring
into the world order everything that is our trump card and richness. This includes the
experience of wars and quarrels that we have managed to overcome. Europe is
attached to the identity that stems from its civilisation, but what we have to offer others –
such as freedom and democracy - is also coupled with openness. The world in which
we have to live is going to test us to see if that is how we really are or whether we have
changed only slightly. I believe that Poland and Germany are prepared for this
examination.
LETTER
of Mr. Jerzy Buzek
Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
to Mr. Romano Prodi
Chairman of the European Commission
Warsaw, 5th October, 2001
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Mr. Romano Prodi
Chairman of the European Commission
Brussels
The four-year term of office of my Government is drawing to a close. I would like to use
this occasion to send information to the Periodic report of Poland’s progress on the road
to membership in the EU in order to thank you for our co-operation and for your sincere
support to Poland’s efforts for rapid accession to the European Union. The balance
sheet of the work of my Government in the field of European integration and especially
the accomplishments of the last two years permit me to trust that in accordance with the
calendar accepted by the European Council in Göteborg, the accession negotiations will
end next year and in 2004 Poland – as a full-fledged member of the EU – will participate
in the elections to the European Parliament.
During the entire term of office of the Government its work concentrated on
intensification of adaptations of an economic and legal nature to the requirements of
membership in the EU and on strengthening the administrative capacity to implement
and apply the acquis communautaire. At the same time, we carried out a number of
internal reforms that were noted with approval in the Periodic Reports of the European
Commission as making Poland a modern state that measures up to the challenges of
the 21st century.
When the accession negotiations started, one of the priorities of the Government was to
convince our partners in the member states and EU institutions on the necessity of
making more precise the time frames of the enlargement process, thereby enabling
proper planning of costly adaptation measures. In addition to other factors, our
13
determination caused decisions to be taken at the meetings of the European Council in
Nice and Göteborg that met our expectations.
As the negotiations progressed, the Government made modifications of Poland’s
negotiation positions, acknowledging that their verification is an indispensable element
of the negotiations. At the same time, we consistently hold to the position that real
progress in the talks cannot be made conditional solely on the readiness of the Polish
side to make concessions; and we express the conviction that a similar flexibility is
necessary from the side of our Union partners. In the face of the singular international
situation that arose as a result of the unprecedented terrorist attack on the United
States, whose scale and tragedy affects all democratic states in the world, the
Government expresses the profound conviction that the response to the events of
recent days should be a deepening and acceleration of the integration of Europe in the
spirit of European solidarity, the road to which irrevocably leads through enlargement of
the European Union. Mindful of the gravity of the times and the weight of responsibility,
the Polish Government declares readiness to accelerate the negotiations, including in
crucial and sensitive areas, and appeals for the same readiness on the part of the
European Union. The acceptance of this proposal would make it possible to speed up
the search for mutual compromises on both sides so as to meet the enlargement
calendar accepted in Göteborg. I am convinced that the new Council of Ministers that
will be formed after the September elections and that will enjoy strong support in the
Parliament will make it possible to reach solutions on key and sensitive problems that
will be acceptable for both sides.
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On the threshold of the Belgian Presidency Poland concluded accession talks in 17
negotiation chapters that are currently the subject of negotiations. Technical
consultations and working meetings have confirmed the advanced state of
harmonisation and implementation of the acquis communautaire in all the other areas.
After that we can expect rapid progress in further negotiations.
Here I would like to call your attention to the considerable progress that we have made
in preparing for co-operation with the member countries and institutions of the EU in the
administration of justice and internal affairs as well as in meeting negotiation obligations
in this field. We fully support the actions taken by the EU in behalf of international
security. An expression of our support, among others, is Poland’s joining in the
Conclusion of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council on 21 st September
devoted to the EU position on the international situation after the terrorist attack on the
United States and our proposals of working together in this area that were submitted to
the Belgian Presidency a several days earlier.
My conviction on the possibility of speeding up the pace of negotiations in the
immediate months ahead and the practicability of the accession timetable assumed by
the Government is based first and foremost on continual progress in realisation of the
programme of adaptations contained in The National Programme of Preparation for
Membership. Already last year the European Commission noted a significant
acceleration in work connected with the adaptation of Polish law to the Union law. This
became possible thanks to a tripartite agreement concluded on the initiative of my
Government last July between the Diet Speaker, Senate Speaker and Prime Minister to
accelerate the process of adaptation of Polish law to the law of the European Union. As
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a result, by the middle of the year the Government had completed almost the entire
timetable of accepting adaptation bills, thereby carrying out a programme that originally
was supposed to be completed by the end of 2002. In concern for keeping up the rapid
pace of the work, the outgoing Government is sending to the new Diet a package of
adaptation bills that the present Diet did not pass because its term of office had expired.
The balance sheet of the term of office of my Government is 207 European laws, of
which 153 were accepted in 2000/2001. I wish to emphasise that despite the
parliamentary elections, the Government and Parliament are continuing to work on
implementing the law of the Communities to the system of Polish law. The Pact for
Integration that the leaders of all the important political parties signed on 22nd August
guarantees continuity of preparations for membership in the European Union. The
leaders of the main political parties in that document expressed the will to work together
in matters of European integration irrespective of the result of the elections. Accessing
the course of the election campaign today, I am convinced that it deepened
understanding in Polish society of the challenge of membership in the EU. I believe that
the parties that until now have not had their parliamentary representation and were
sceptical of membership , now after they have entered the parliament will show more
responsibility concerning our strategic choice.
Poland’s progress in meeting the economic and political criteria of membership in the
last four years was measured by Periodic Reports of the European Commission. The
Government with satisfaction and attention received successive documents of the
Commission, for at the same time they confirm the intensification and consolidation of
the process of adaptation of the Polish economic and legal system to the requirements
16
of membership in the Union. The appraisals in the Reports confirmed in the case of
Poland more than in the case of the other candidates that well-advanced adaptation
actions cannot be directly translated into the number and tempo of closed negotiation
chapters. The scale of the challenges and adaptations that we are undertaking as the
largest of the negotiating countries as well as the costs connected with these actions
cannot be compared with any of the other candidates.
In light of the appraisals of the Commission, Poland in the last years had no problems in
meeting the political criteria of membership. Approval was expressed of progress in
forming an apolitical Civil Service and the co-ordination of Polish foreign policy with the
actions of the European Union taken within the Common Foreign and Security Policy. In
the last period – in addition to involvement in resolving the Balkan crisis – we are
following with attention the course of works of the intergovernmental conference on
institutional reform. I express satisfaction that acceptance of the Nice treaty removed
the last formal obstacle to enlargement and that our position presented during the
conference was listened to and taken into consideration, Poland already now is actively
involved in preparing the next intergovernmental conference. Taking into consideration
that decisions will be taken at this conference that will determine the shape of the
enlarged Union, we expect that in the prospect of rapid enlargement the formula of
participation of the candidate states in these preparations that will be agreed upon this
year will not differ from the status of the member states.
Poland received equally good marks in recent years for economic adaptations. In last
year’s Periodic Report the Commission acknowledged that we have a functioning
market economy that in the near future will be capable of meeting the pressure of
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competition and market forces within the EU. Poland thereby of all the candidate
countries from Central and Eastern Europe came the closest to meeting the economic
criteria of membership in the Union. The course of economic processes in Poland
during the past year fully confirms this appraisal. In addition to positive phenomena such
as a positive rate of economic growth, lowering of inflation and the current account
deficit, there were also negative developments – higher unemployment and the difficult
budget situation resulting from the high costs of the reforms carried our in the last four
years. In this context I would like to call your attention to the fact that the outgoing
Government and the opposition have agreed that the budget deficit in 2002 cannot
exceed 40bn PLN. The condition for realising this decision will be a rapid
implementation of the package of structural changes in the economy and public
finances. Eventual limits on budgetary expenditures should have no influence on
financing the adaptation process. However, in the case of especially costly adaptations
it may be necessary to consider spreading them out over time, if that does not have a
negative influence on the pace and quality of the accession process.
More than a year before the date of Poland’s readiness for membership in the European
Union my Government completed the fundamental legislative work connected with
preparing statutes adapting the Polish law to Union law, and the Diet passed a sizeable
majority of them. Work is being continued on issuing executive orders to these statutes.
From the perspective of the achievements of last year, both in the field of adaptation
actions and bilateral relations, I expect that in this year’s Periodic Report the European
Commission will confirm the advanced stage of the adaptation process and our position
in the group of candidates well prepared for membership. As the outgoing Prime
18
Minister I am going to pass on to my successor this enormous adaptation achievement
with the message to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion and to ensure that
Poland will take part in the elections to the European parliament in 2004 as a full-
fledged member of the European Union.
I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the European Commission that you head
for co-operation in behalf of our common European work and would be grateful to you
for passing on my message to your colleague Commissioners.
DECLARATION
of Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski
President of the Republic of Poland
during a press conference
Warsaw, 7th October, 2001
Ladies and Gentlemen, Countrymen!
Today the decisive military campaign was launched against the nightmare of world
terrorism. As a consequence of the unprecedented terrorist attacks on New York and
Washington, the entire world saw the face of terror. Thousands of innocent people died.
The international community lost its sense of security. The world will never be the same.
The fight will be long, risky and painful. Today’s campaign is only the beginning. It is
going to require effort and many sacrifices, on the part of our society as well. We are
ready for them. To stand on the sidelines would be tantamount to acquiescing to evil
and other innocent victims. In an age of globalisation and the blurring of state
boundaries, the atrocities that New Yorkers suffered could also befall us. The next
attacks could reap their bloody harvest in the heart of Europe.
19
Let us also remember that among the victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center
were our countrymen. That is also why – together with our allies – we must stand up to
the plague of humanity that is terrorism. It is necessary for the democratic states to
show determination. To fail at this moment would encourage new crimes. In this difficult
hour solidarity and international co-operation are crucial. All states that profess the
principles of democracy and peace must be united and ready to defend the lives of their
citizens and the institutions of the free world. A battle is also being fought so that the
ordinary citizen could choose his life path on his own. This is not a war against Islam. It
is not a war with Afghanistan. The enemy is terrorism and persons who violate all the
rules of civilised behaviour.
Poland resolutely and with conviction stands at the side of the United States and will do
its utmost so that the battle that has started will end in victory. We declare our full
support to the broad anti-terrorist coalition and will give all possible assistance to our
partners in such a difficult moment for them. This is not only on account of Poland’s
obligations as a NATO member, but stems from our feeling of international solidarity
and our faithfulness to universal values.
I also would like to inform you that just before the military actions started I spoke with
Vice President of the United States Mr. Richard Cheney, who informed me of the action
that was about to commence. He also said that these actions are directed against the
camps and infrastructure that serve the terrorists, that the campaign will be conduced in
tandem with humanitarian aid for the people of Afghanistan. He also spoke of earlier
actions that had been taken to pinpoint the terrorist forces and the actions that preceded
the attack. Vice President Cheney warmly thanked Poland, the Polish people and Polish
20
authorities for their support. I also want to say that from our part I declared a
continuation of our support, which at this stage is largely political. It is very strong and
close in the intelligence area. Poland will co-operate on the military plane when such
expectations and requests are addressed to Poland from the United States and NATO.
That co-operation and support also entails control of the movement of people and
money that are intended for terrorist groups. We also are going to continue and develop
co-operation of all civil institutions that can fight terrorism effectively. These are the most
important planes of Poland’s participation in the anti-terrorist coalition.
I also wish to inform you that I have conducted talks with Prime Minister Buzek and
Prime Minister designate Leszek Miller and that both the present government and the
new government that is being formed are fully in accord in this matter. There are no
differences in views between the present government and members of the new
government concerning participation in the anti-terrorist alliance and appraisal of the
campaign started by the United States and Great Britain. I also wish to inform you that a
meeting of the anti-crisis staff headed by the Prime Minister will be held at 22.30. Head
of the National Security Bureau will represent me at that meeting.
In conclusion I want to assure all of you that there is no immediate threat to Poland
today. All services are in a state of readiness. All of them are properly prepared and
informed. A state of the highest readiness has existed in all indispensable units since
11th September, that is, since the terrorist attack. In some additional units such as the
Police and Bureau for Protection of the Government that readiness has even been
heightened. Complete control has been extended over Polish air space as well as over
the borders of the Republic of Poland. Once again I wish to say that in this situation and
21
moment there is no direct threat to our country and its inhabitants. However, I repeat
what I said on September 11th. Vigilance is necessary, as is the flow of information and
good communications. We never know where the threat can come from. I stress that the
services of the Polish state are in a state of readiness and prepared to take the
necessary actions if such a need arises.
22
ADDRESS
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski
President of the Republic of Poland
during a meeting with young people from Israel
Warsaw, 10th October, 2001
Dear Friends from Israel!
I welcome you cordially to the Presidential Palace. I am very happy to be meeting with
young people from Israel. I am also glad that you have the opportunity to see Poland
and get acquainted with Poles, that you can confront your ideas with reality. Only in that
way can we build Polish-Israeli relations on the basis of truth, with an eye to the future.
It is you, young people, who will give the direction to these relations in the future.
Familiarity with the country that was the homeland of many of your ancestors is a
valuable experience. Individual friendships with Poles are capital that may bear fruit for
a lifetime. I have emphasised on many occasions that Poland and Israel are heirs of
one of the most extraordinary pages in the history of mankind – more than eight
hundred years of coexistence of two nations. In a certain moment more than half of all
the Jews in the world lived on Polish soil. Poland was an important centre of Talmudic
scholarship, studies and seminars, art, poetry, literature, philosophy and theology.
That unprecedented tradition of peaceable coexistence of our nations was clouded over
for a long time by the tragedy of the Holocaust. It may be expected that Polish-Israeli
relations for a long time will be affected by painful memories and feelings. We in Poland
understand and respect that.
23
In the course of the more than tem years that have passed since the renewal of Polish-
Israeli diplomatic relations - after a 23-year interruption – we have succeeded in
explaining quite a few misunderstandings between Jews and Poles and between Israel
and Poland. Historians in Poland and in Israel together have explained many tragic
events. We have entered a time of development of co-operation between Poland and
Israel. Trade between the two countries has been growing from year to year. Poland is
probably the biggest importer in the region of goods from Israel. What is even more
important – people are meeting, talking, making contacts with each other. We are
always pleased when Jewish young people come to Poland from Israel and from all
over the world. The participation of young Jews – and beside them ever more Poles – in
the March of the Living is an excellent history lesson. The Centre of Jewish Culture in
Cracow enjoys great popularity. The Festival of Jewish Culture, which for several days
in June encompasses nearly the entire district of Kazimierz, is a great international
event that has become a permanent fixture of Cracow’s cultural calendar. We in Poland
express firm support for all meetings of young people. Thanks to face-to-face contacts
stereotypes are overcome and respect for a common tradition grows; friendships are
formed and discussions on the future are entered into. On many occasions I myself
have met with young people and students from Israel, and have pleasant memories of
those meetings.
There are no conflicts of interests between Poland and Israel, but on the contrary there
are many examples of successful common undertakings – especially those involving
young people. It is not easy for the old generation to build truly modern and pragmatic
Polish-Israeli relations. Ambassador Shevach Weiss once said that Polish-Israeli
24
relations would never be normal. They will be either very good or very bad. I hope that
thanks to young Israelis and young Poles – tolerant, open to the world and practical –
we can succeed in making them normal. That is your task. Today you are doing that by
learning from each other. Tomorrow you are going to do that.
I wish our guests from Israel – girls, boys, and your chaperons – a successful stay in
Poland. I hope that it will give you many beautiful experiences and bear fruit in a liking
for Poland, that you will always have pleasant memories of this year’s Polish warm
sunny autumn days.
LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS
of Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski
to Mr. Kofi Annan
25
Secretary General of the United Nations
Warsaw, 12th October, 2001
I was delighted to hear the news that the United Nations and you personally have been
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for actions in behalf of human rights and peace in the
world.
In my own name and in the name of all Poles I warmly congratulate you on this honorific
and fully deserved distinction. The great achievements of the United Nations in building
the peaceful future of the world are greatly appreciated in our country. I wish you
personally and the Organisation that you head further successes in solving the difficult,
complicated problems and challenges that the entire international community faces.
I wish to assure you of the strong, unflagging support of the Republic of Poland for the
goals and noble mission that the United Nations has been pursuing for more than fifty
years.
ADDRESS
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski
President of the Republic of Poland
26
during the inauguration of the academic year
in the Police Academy
Szczytno, 16th October, 2001
Director, Commander of the Police Academy, Worthy Policeman, Officers, Ministers,
Representatives of Territorial Governments, Parliamentarians and Representatives of
Various Colleges and Universities!
First of all I wish to apologise for my tardiness. This year, this time, is entirely
exceptional. It does not permit us to plan our work quietly. The information that is
reaching us from various places is disquieting. That gives a special dimension to the
new academic year of your Academy. Before our eyes questions of the safety of citizens
and protection of the public order acquire special importance. An unprecedented war is
being waged with terrorism. Actions that are supposed to put an end to this dangerous
phenomenon are uniting the world community. We are conducting them in the defence
of values that decide the level and quality of our life. This war is being fought for the
sake of fundamental matters, for human rights and liberties, balance and the
international order, the co-operation of nations and states, and hope for a better future
of mankind.
One of the fronts of this war runs through our country. Poland belongs to the states that
oppose terrorism. We are going to meet our obligations as allies. We have the duty to
ensure peace and sense of security to our citizens. They are counting on the public
authorities to undertake effective preventive actions, to identify the scale and directions
of the dangers, and to neutralise the sources and circumstances that foster potential
dangers.
27
That is the domain of the work of the Police. It includes performance tasks on the scale
of the entire formation and in individual service posts. In the world today crimes know no
borders. They strike at the security of each and every one of us. That is why, as never
before, we need your mobility, discipline and responsibility. This difficult time requires a
concerted effort, solid work in combating crimes, and the capacity to co-operate with the
police forces of other states.
Several days ago we took an important step in this direction. An association agreement
was signed with Europol, and that means that the possibilities of our police have
increased. We received access to European databases, we have been assured of the
partner-like co-operation of other police formations in combating organised crime. That
will be of great help in the fight with international and national criminal groups. The
Polish police have joined the European Union before Poland. Already now by benefiting
from the structures of Europol we can undertake a more effective fight than before with
the dangers that can come from any side in an open world.
The Police Academy in Szczytno has rendered many services in preparing officers of
the Police, the Border Guard, and Office for State Protection and the Bureau for
Protection of the Government for their duties. I know that you are effectively raising the
level of knowledge and skills of the managerial cadre of the public order services. You
are acting successfully in the international exchange of students and the scientific-
technical cadre. You are developing disciplines that determine the theoretical and legal
foundations of the activity of the Police. With satisfaction I am observing the constant
modernisation of the didactic infrastructure of your Academy. I am sure that the people
whose organisational and scientific activity determines the condition of the Academy will
28
be capable of ensuring its further development and capacity to meeting the needs of the
future.
Commander Rector, Ladies and Gentlemen!
I congratulate you on your achievements and ask you to accept wishes for the
realisation of your plans and intentions. I am confident that, as before, ambitious
students that will distinguish themselves in the service will leave the walls of your
Academy. I expect that with each passing year the scientific-research potential of the
school will better serve the police, the entire Polish society, and our national and
European government agencies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish you successes in all undertakings developing contemporary police knowledge.
And I wish success to those who today are beginning their studies.
ADDRESS
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski
President of the Republic of Poland
during the inaugural sitting of the 4th Diet
29
of the Republic of Poland
Warsaw, 19th October, 2001
Mr. Senior Speaker, Deputies, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Prime Minister Designate,
Excellencies, Bishops, Your Excellencies Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen!
On 23rd September, 2001 the nation took a decision. Its sovereign will shaped this
Chamber. Today, you, Ladies and Gentlemen, are assuming from your predecessors
the task of public service. You have received a mandate of confidence from the voters.
That mandate is an obligation given to your grouping but also to every deputy singly
chosen by name. I congratulate all the electoral committees represented in the new
Diet; I congratulate all Ladies and Gentlemen.
Mr. Speaker, High Chamber!
This Diet is commencing its activities in the first year of the new century. That means
that we should look beyond our term of office and shoulder responsibility for the destiny
of future generations. The beginning of the activity of this Chamber coincides with
dramatic international events. After 11th September, after the terrorist attack on the
United States, the world changed. Unfortunately, it changed for the worse. We stand
together with our American allies in their battle against international terrorism. We are
aware that now we will have to act in more difficult and, let’s hope, not dramatic
conditions.
Poland and its new parliament and future government face great challenges. These
challenges are the greatest and most difficult – I do not hesitate to say – since 1989.
They require from all of us maturity, far-sightedness and commitment. There is no
30
exaggeration in that statement. The future in large measure, Ladies and Gentlemen, lies
in your hands.
Twelve years have passed since the historic breakthrough. That is more than half of the
lifetime of the Second Republic. In short, the transformation and reforms no longer
describe to a sufficient degree what has to be done in Poland. So we have a situation
that requires new ideas and new projects. It requires courage to meet new challenges.
Pressing social and economic needs are not hard to define. Work and development,
justice and honesty, competence and consistency – are the main mission of politicians
in 2001 and in subsequent years. Poland needs rapid economic development, needs to
guarantee the safety of its citizens, improve the lot of residents of the countryside, fight
with poverty and wrongs, and needs to broaden education.
In a very short time, literally in minutes, you as well as all of us will face unavoidable
concrete questions on how to achieve these goals on which all generally agree.
How can we extricate ourselves from the difficulties that the previous years and the
outgoing parliament and government left behind? How can we reduce expenditures,
since everything is lacking? How can we increase state revenues without harming the
poorest, but at the same time – which is also extremely important – without
encumbering entrepreneurs?
Together we must look for answers to these questions and be aware that even if these
are not the best answers, we must find them.
Poland elected a new Diet to set in order affairs in the state and to provide impulses for
development. That will restore hope, optimism and the faith that Poland is going in the
31
right direction and is capable of attaining the goals that it has set. I know, am convinced,
that this will happen.
Deputies!
In searching for new impulses for development and solutions that will make our
economy more effective and more competitive, we turn towards Western Europe and
the entire developed world. Is there a better development chance for Poland than
participation in European integration? We know that this is not a recipe for one hundred
percent success, but it is an opportunity. And it depends on our determination and
preparation whether we take advantage of this opportunity.
Poland already has borne significant costs in adapting to the requirements of the
European Union, but we have to know that we are coping with a challenge of an
unprecedented scale. We also know that the economic and civilisational distance
between the two parts of the continent is still enormous. The scale of our effort and
adaptations, we do not hide, is exceptional and concerns the entire society. But the
benefits that we can enjoy from European integration are worth those efforts. Poland’s
membership in the European Union will provide us with development chances and
impulses such as we have never known before. And we know that thanks to the
composition of this Chamber, the national discussion on Poland’s place in Europe will
be more controversial than hitherto, but I believe that it will also be deeper and better. It
will show that in Poland there is a place for differences of opinions, for a multiplicity of
views and judgements. But we must talk, justify our arguments and bring about a
common „yes”. The final result must be the best decision – choice of the most expected
and desired variant for Poland. As president I repeat before this new Chamber that
32
there is no better variant than Poland’s presence in the European Union. I would like
you here in this hall to convey this to your partners. Poland in its overwhelming majority
is determined to follow the road to the European Union.
Mr Senior Speaker, High Chamber!
The present Diet is the third parliament that, as president, I have the privilege to work
with. In accordance with constitutional provisions, if my health remains good, I will live to
see yet another parliament. But I assure you that I am going to assist all of its actions
that serve the good of Poland, that I pledge my readiness to co-operate most effectively
with you Deputies in a practical manner. I am also counting on understanding and
support for the initiatives that I will submit to the High Chamber without delay.
I also believe that despite the programme differences that separate individual groupings,
you can find common points that will permit you to write the best possible scenario for
our country, that you will undertake a great effort to create the best possible law.
Remember and please accept this remark as obvious but at the same time as binding.
The laws that you draft are not for unknown, abstract communities, but are for flesh and
blood people. The lawmaker establishes rules that apply in changing conditions and the
not always predictable future. In the present Diet this challenge is all too apparent,
because, Ladies and Gentlemen, the public at large expected you to raise the standards
of legislation. Politics has its rights. People will always group themselves in various
political formations in pursuit of the causes and ideas that they regard as the most
important. But politicians cannot concentrate on themselves and their disputes. We
cannot afford that. We don’t have time for that. On the other hand, as recent years and
the last elections have demonstrated, the voters don’t accept that either. I think that you
33
will remember that experience, and the political debates and divisions will become more
transparent. Democracy teaches. I believe that parties will draw lessons from inapt
projects and mistakes. Voters also will draw conclusions from their previous decisions.
People do not expect immediate changes. However, let us remember that for the
citizens a four-year time is enough time to judge whether more has changed for the
better or for the worse.
Mr. Speaker, High Chamber!
The inauguration of the work of the Diet always raises hopes. In such a moment as this
one people couple their expectations with the new parliament. Always remember this
hope! Remember how many unfilled expectations there were in recent years. For your
strength inheres not only in you and your parties. The strength of politicians is the trust
of the citizens. Without that even the best plans cannot succeed. That confidence is the
measure of credibility and professionalism, competence and consistency of politicians.
Trust is someone other than plaudits. One can gain complete trust only if it is
understood that the essence of politics is not to defeat or to eliminate a competitor. It is
not just a matter of gaining and holding on to power. Its deepest meaning is to search
for – in a dialogue and substantive debate – the best possible solutions. One must work
hard incessantly to gain trust. It must be confirmed constantly – by responsibility,
deliberation and knowledge. Once the late lamented Professor Józef Tischner wrote:
„The skill of governing people is first and foremost the skill of persuasion. In order to
govern, one must know how to argue.”
Mr. Senior Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Countrymen!
34
Poles believe that you are ready to meet these challenges. I wish all of you assembled
here today, the elected deputies, success. I say that as president, but also as one of the
millions of Poles who send these wishes through me. We all urgently need your
success, your good work, and your accomplishments. I believe that you will not spare
efforts and time so that all of the challenges that Poland and the world present you with
can be surmounted. I wish you all the best!
ADDRESS
by Mr. Aleksander Kwaśniewski
President of the Republic of Poland
during the inaugural sitting of the Senate of the Republic of Poland
Warsaw, 20th October, 2001
Honourable Mr. Speaker! Senators!
An act of exceptional importance is taking place at this first sitting that opens the new
term of office of the Senate. The legislative authority of the Republic of Poland is being
formed for the first years of the new century. Yesterday, the Diet assembled for its first
sitting. Today, the Senate is taking up its work. Polish democracy has chosen a new
parliament, and to you, Senators, it has entrusted a considerable part of the
responsibility for the destiny of Poland in the new century.
35
I congratulate you all on your election. You are entering the Polish parliament with the
strong support of the voters, with a strong democratic mandate. Under the electoral law
to the Senate, the mandate goes to candidates who receive the largest number of votes
in a district. That means that each of you personally was recognised as the best and
most worthy. You can be proud of that. At the same time, this should strengthen your
desire to serve others – not only those who voted for you; not only to your own
groupings and political circles – but also to all of the residents of the Polish home.
Political divisions and differences of views are natural to democracy. However, the
common good unchangingly exists, an area of common concern and common joy. The
majesty of the Republic of Poland, reasons of State and development of the nation,
which has wandered through centuries of history, unites all Poles. I trust that from the
moment when you take your oath of office with every one of your actions you will
strengthen what unites us all.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
The Constitution of the Republic of Poland assigns to the Senate a significant role in the
state. The Senate takes part in proclaiming laws. It may propose new bills. The Senate,
which always has a clearer majority, stabilises the legislative branch. The Senate also
has exceptional powers that distinguish it from other bodies of the state authority. It is a
place where the law may be modified and improved.
The Constitution sees the Senate not only as a reviewer of bills passed by the Diet but
also as a creative editor. In this sense the Senate in its possibilities predominates over
the powers of the President and the Constitutional Tribunal. The President may veto a
defective bill, but with no guarantee that the veto will be successful. The Constitutional
36
Tribunal may rescind such a bill in whole or in part if it is unconstitutional, but it cannot
introduce changes to it. Only the Senate may correct a passed bill. That is why it is with
great hope that I am addressing you to help Poland in coping with the exceptionally
important challenge of improving the quality of law making. Yesterday, I addressed the
same appeal to the Diet. Today, I am making the same strong appeal to the Senate.
This matter may decide Poland’s future and the confidence of Poles in the state, the
success of the economy and the shape of the civil society.
The Senate also has a considerable influence on shaping some state institutions. It has
a prominent role in maintaining the ties between the motherland and Poles abroad.
Millions of our countrymen on different continents, people who have Polish roots and
long for contact with Polish culture, language and the life of our country, need support,
kind attention and our solidarity with them. I am convinced that in the 5 th Senate they will
find a partner in the work of strengthening the world family of Poles.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
The first years of the new century – a time in which you will have the privilege of
exercising your mandate – looks promising but also difficult. Such years are before
Poland, Europe and the world. In addition to trump cards and great opportunities, there
are also complicated challenges and threats.
Today, the Polish transformations that already have brought so many successes need
to be supplemented and strengthened. There is an all-too clear and dangerous division
into those who have found themselves in the new realty and those who are struggling
with poverty and see no prospects for themselves. Growing unemployment today should
be on the conscience of every Polish politician. Our economy must be brought back
37
onto the fast growth path and public finances put in order. I am counting on your wisdom
and responsibility to pave the way to better solutions.
Mr. Senior Speaker, Deputies!
For many years, with a determined effort Poland has been striving for membership in
the European Union. Now the negotiations are entering the decisive stage. Poland may
find itself in the Union body on 1st January, 2004. That is only two years away! The
situation is becoming ever clearer – entry into the Union at that time, or if we fail to meet
our obligations, entry in the remote, hazy future. That is why we need concentrate our
strength and iron nerves to win everything that can be won and in order to secure
Poland’s prosperity for the entire century that is just starting. We are a country in the
middle of the continent. Excluding ourselves from Europe makes no sense, while
becoming part of an integrated Europe will multiply our trump cards and possibilities.
Although membership in the Union is not a remedy for all our troubles, it will open up
prospects for us of which we can only dream about today.
A national debate and referendum on Poland’s joining the European Union are in store
for us on this road. The debate already is under way. I appeal earnestly to all of you
Senators to help ensure a substantive, business-like course of this debate with your
knowledge, talents and authority. Poland must not squander this opportunity!
Senators!
The world today finds itself in a difficult moment. It is not easy to tell what’s what in the
global tangle of successes and failures, co-operation and hatred, the building of bridges
and the building of walls. We are not sure what kind of future lies in store for us. Is it the
38
one that rose up from amidst the rubble of the „Iron Curtain” or the one that frightens us
from amidst the ruins of the World Trade Center? Poland with all of its history and the
longing of the entire nation is part of that global family that is a community of freedom,
democracy and respect for human rights. That is our road – the road of human
civilisation. The other road leads to a void, chaos and fear.
Everyone who assumes power, assumes responsibility. Today, that responsibility is
especially hard and clear-cut. We need a great amount of energy and composure to
bear it. I say that to you and also to myself and to the present leaders and
representatives of the new parliament. A special tie binds me with this parliament. In
four years, in 2005, in an internal of only a few months the term of office of the Diet and
Senate as well as of the President will end. The society and history will judge our
intentions and actions. We are writing not only our biographies; we are writing the
history book of the Republic of Poland. May this be a wise and beautiful book.
39
EXPOSÉ
of Mr. Leszek Miller
Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
Warsaw, 25th October, 2001
Mr. President! Mr. Speaker! Deputies! Honoured Guests! Citizens!
I am delivering my exposé in a situation when my predecessors as well as the leaders of
the parties that formed the previous coalition are not sitting in the deputies’ chairs. That
is the first such case since the beginning of the Polish transformation. That is a harsh
verdict, but a fair judgement of the previous government and the politicians who
supported it. It is a judgement handed down in elections by the supreme sovereign of
the Republic – by the nation. Since 1989 no Polish cabinet except the first one – that of
Tadeusz Mazowiecki – had such difficult starting conditions; and like that one we are
faced with the need of making fundamental changes. Pulling the country out of a
financial collapse, stimulating the economy, improving the labour market, reducing
poverty and eliminating many social pathologies will require time, sacrifices and hard
work. Time will also be need to restore the proper meaning of the word „service”, for
power must mean service to the society. Today, however, I can say for certain that we
are not going to lift up the economy and social life at the expense of the poorest and,
the unemployed and helpless. We are not going to do that by increasing contrasts in the
standard of living and differences between people, not by creating islands of wealth in a
sea of poverty.
High Chamber!
40
An indication of duties well performed is to hand over the country in a state no worse
than it was when one took power. In 1997 the SLD-PSL coalition left the state in a good
condition. After four years of governments, first AWS and UW and then AWS and its
allies, nearly four million people joined the ranks of the unemployed, the rate of
economic growth fell fourfold, and the profitability of enterprises dropped to zero. For
the first time in many years, investments, which had been growing rapidly for many
years in a row, fell by nearly 10%. The society grew poorer, and the areas of inherited
poverty spread. The incomes of farmers declined. Many Polish families lost all hope. For
four years we were given a lesson in how not to govern. A mess, waste of public
resources, conflicts, incompetence and inaptitude were the characteristics of the
previous government. Hardly a month passed without a scandal, suspicions of
corruption, and examples of the pursuit of private interests and quarrels over power.
During those four years Poland lost much. Too much. We hear the excuse that it
couldn’t be helped, that objective circumstances were responsible, that it had to be this
way. That isn’t true. It didn’t have to be and doesn’t have to be that way.
In the name of the government of SLD-UP and PSL I declare that in four years, no
matter who will come to power in Poland, we are going to leave the economy in a
condition that permits further development and the state well organised and in proper
order.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
The first year of the new millennium is coming to an end. We have the honour but
especially the great duty to lead Poland into the new century and ensure its proper
place in the world. The tasks that the parliament and government face are daunting. We
41
must carry them out in such a way that in four years it can be said: we served Poland
well. For that is the only reason we were elected and that is why we are here. We are
here to build a strong Poland, a Poland of people who are proud of themselves and their
country, who live with a sense of satisfaction and are happy with their standard of living,
and who benefit from the opportunities of membership in NATO and the European
Union. What is good for all of us can only be what serves Poland, what builds prosperity
and the international position and security of our country. We may profess different
ideologies, but there is only one Poland. Work for Poland is a duty, irrespective of
political preferences and worldviews. It is worth repeating the words of a famous saying
here on the Vistula: Don’t ask what Poland can do for you, but what you can do for
Poland. Let us work together for our country as much as we can and are able to. After
all, we are working for ourselves, for our children and grandchildren. There is no better
place of understanding. Mindful of all the difficulties, we also perceive numerous
reserves, which when tapped, can improve the present situation. Some of those
reserves inhere in codification of the law, improving the quality of government, lowering
the costs of state and local government, and introducing effective mechanisms to fight
corruption. Other reserves are economic and entail eliminating waste in spending public
money, including the proper use of means from the privatisation of state-owned
enterprises, an effective monetary policy, greater efficiency of customs officials and
introducing additional incentives to boost exports.
Some reserves exist in the social sphere and are connected with strengthening
confidence in the state, the better use of human capital, greater safety of citizens,
42
working out a national agreement on strategic issues and a co-operative model of
relations between political forces, including between the government and the opposition.
The next group of reserves is international and includes better use of Poland’s political
and geographic location and increasing the international competitiveness of our country.
Many reserves lie in the programme and style of wielding power. Our biggest and
unexploited advantage is our citizens, their qualifications, enthusiasm, energy and
willingness to work. The dynamism, activity and enterprise of Poles are our greatest
reserve.
High Chamber!
The programme of the government stems from a programme agreement of the
Democratic Left Alliance, Union of Labour and Polish Peasant Party. The goal of the
government is not to administer the crisis that it has inherited. Our goal is to overcome
the crisis and put the economy back on a growth track. First, however, we must save the
state from bankruptcy. That is the most urgent task of my government. That also is the
condition sine qua non for carrying out our next intentions: within one year to lay the
foundations of economic development and during the entire parliamentary term of office
– to stimulate a sustainable economic upturn that brings tangible benefits to the entire
society.
We see carrying out our intentions in three perspectives: first, the next one hundred
days, second, the year ahead, and third, the government’s entire term of office.
Here is what we plan to accomplish in the next one hundred days:
43
First, to stabilise the finances of the state. The budget deficit is not an abstract malady
of the Minister of Finance. It is the symptom of a serious illness and collapse of the
state. It means the necessity of self-discipline and a multiplicity of sacrifices. The
Council of Ministers already has issued an order blocking expenditures for this year
amounting of 8.5bn złoties to which the previous government had obligated itself. In the
second half of November we are going to submit the draft budget for next year and with
it a package of budgetary statutes. Next year’s budget deficit will not exceed 40bn
złoties, expenditures – 183bn. Part of the necessary package will consist of proposals to
make changes in taxes, including in the personal income tax. Forecasts that the growth
rate of the GDP may drop to 1.5% leave no doubt that such actions will be necessary.
Second, we intend to make the state less expensive and more efficient. We have
started savings with ourselves. We are going to propose a freeze on wages in the
government administration. Already there are fewer ministers, and there will be fewer
directors, councillors, and presidents as well as fewer agencies, funds and foundations
that absorb money from the budget. We are introducing legal regulations that force
reductions of employment in the administration. In a sea of human poverty,
unemployment and a tight budget the public administration cannot be an island of self-
contentment and affluence. We are going to apply the same principle to the local
government administration. We intend to reduce it in such a way so that it will
complement the powers of territorial self-governments and not duplicate roles. The
principle to be followed is that local government is the master of a region, while the
government administration has auxiliary and control functions. The costs of local
44
government can and should be lower. That is why we are going to ask for further
reductions in the number of councillors and members of boards.
As we announced before the election, village administrators and mayors will be chosen
in direct elections.
We are in favour of holding parliamentary and local government elections in the spring.
Then the situation will be clear – the same government and parliament, the same local
government authority will prepare and pass the state budget and then carry it out. With
the autumn elections that we have had until now, one government created the draft
budget, while another one ratified it and took responsibility for it.
Third, we intend to renew the interrupted social dialogue within a tripartite agreement:
government-employers-trade unions.
The dialogue will also be extended to other institutions responsible for the most
important matters in the state.
We need a partner-like dialogue with the National Bank of Poland and the Monetary
Policy Council. The unquestionably important goal of lowering inflation pursued at all
cost could plunge the country into a deep recession and keep unemployment at a high
level.
The government is not going to take any actions that violate the constitutional principle
of the independence of the Monetary Policy Council and National Bank of Poland.
However, we are going to try to adopt a common line of action of government agencies
that determine the final shape of economic policy, namely the government, the National
Bank of Poland and the Monetary Policy Council.
45
Fourth, in social policy we are going to establish clear and testable criteria for granting
welfare benefits. These benefits will go only to the poorest and neediest.
Declarations of support to the poorest will be realised in the form of appropriate
government programmes. Children from the poorest families will receive school outfits,
and schools will get money to pay for poor children’s lunches. As long as we are unable
to make sure that no child comes to school hungry, let us at least make sure that it
doesn’t leave school hungry.
High Chamber!
The year 2002 will be the most crucial one for the parliament’s term of office. A year of
good government will raise hopes for improvement of people’s lives. In that year
negotiations with the European Union will be concluded and new possibilities and
prospects will open up.
During this time we are going to start implementation of the economic programme for
the period till 2005. That programme will be an instrument that will give economic policy
concrete form and also a signpost for economic entities on the most important priorities.
It will also be the foundation for social dialogue and an important guideline for foreign
investors.
A legislative package will also be implemented under the name „enterprise above all”
that will create better conditions for the development of small and medium-sized
enterprises.
We are going to introduce a far-reaching amendment of the law on public finance and
tax regulations. The purpose of these changes will be to impose greater discipline in
46
expenditures in the public domain and also to make the relations between companies
and individual taxpayers vis-ŕ-vis the tax office more civilised.
The tax law is going to be reviewed to close loopholes and eliminate ambiguities. We
cannot tolerate a situation in which the tax offices arbitrarily interpret the tax code. For
many entrepreneurs high taxes are a vexation, but what is even worse is the chaos in
the regulations, vagueness and inconsistencies.
We are going to overhaul the State Treasury, including a fusion of the tax and customs
departments.
We are going to see to it that all companies operating in Poland pay taxes on an equal
footing – those with domestic and those with foreign capital. We are going to introduce
procedures to eliminate the dishonest transfer of profits abroad.
A new law will be prepared on financing territorial self-government that increases its
powers and increases the effectiveness of the activities of communes, districts and
voivodeships.
Privatisation will not be subordinated solely to the budgetary needs of the state. It will
become an instrument of a long-range economic policy; it will serve modernisation of
industry, improve the quality of production and increase our export offer. Many fields are
in need of modernisation: mining, the iron and steel industry, the armaments industry
and transport.
The role of the government does not consist in selling everything and no matter for what
price. Rather, privatisation, the infusion of private capital, including from abroad, should
be an instrument for building strong, healthy and promising economic enterprises.
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We plan to draft a law on the financial support of investments, in particular investments
in the infrastructure. We favour a mixed system of financing, in part from state funds,
and in part from foreign funds and domestic private capital. The state should be
prepared to bear part of the risk of such investments.
The priority of the government in this area will be to build motorways and investments in
environmental protection.
Computerisation is an important task of our government. In order to provide the
necessary co-ordination, a new government department will be created. It will deal with
the dissemination and exploitation of teleinformatics and the integration of existing
systems and state registers. In this way we will create a friendly environment for carrying
out the computerisation of the country. This will be an important step towards laying the
foundations to build an information society. We are going to regard inadequate progress
towards modern information tools as one of the indicators of poverty.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
There are goals and tasks that transcend the time horizon of one year. We are going to
address the following tasks for the next four years:
First, we will work to reduce unemployment, which is a material, moral, social and
political problem. Millions of people without work are waiting for help, and it is our duty to
give it to them. Although economic growth is the main chance to create jobs, we cannot
wait until it bears fruit. We are preparing legal solutions and economic incentives that
should facilitate the employment of graduates of schools and colleges and to go into
business for oneself. We are introducing the possibility of flexible working hours so that
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more people could find part-time employment. We want to return to the methods applied
in the past of teaching persons how to look for work actively. We are considering ways
of strengthening programme and organisational links between schools and employing
institutions so as to better synchronise educational programmes with the needs of
employers. Once again we want to create conditions that will spur persons threatened
with unemployment to acquire new qualifications.
Second, agriculture. It requires systems of economic and financial support modelled on
those in place in the European Union. The Polish countryside and agriculture is in a
state of deep crisis. The feeling of injury is growing there. The incomes of farmers and
their families are well below the average. The countryside is becoming the quarters for
an army of unemployed, while 1.7 million hectares of farmland lay fallow.
It is necessary to introduce legal guarantees to pay farmers promptly for their crops.
Today, while being in a difficult situation themselves, they often bankroll food
processors and merchants. Farmers must know what to produce and what they can sell.
Ecological farms and groups of agricultural producers require financial-organisational
support to increase farmers’ incomes and make better use of productive assets.
It is necessary to tighten up borders by a comprehensive system of monitoring imports,
introducing registration of goods brought into the country and applying transit deposits.
The complete execution of the existing quality norms will enable us to protect the Polish
market against unfair competition.
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Following the example of some countries of the Union we wish to introduce to our
domestic legislation appropriate regulations governing the principles on which one can
sell land, including farmland.
Third, health. We are going to increase the government’s responsibility for the health
policy of the state.
Let us return to the health programmes and promotion of health abandoned by our
predecessors that brought positive results, in particular oncology, combating diseases of
the circulatory system, the programme of care of mothers and small children and school
medicine.
Improvement of the health system must go further than that. The system must be
tightened up and expenses reined in so that the scanty means available would bring the
greatest effects.
We are going to make the best use of financial means in the health service through the
introduction of a Register of Medical Services, and that will go in tandem with a rational
drug policy tailored to what patients can afford to pay.
In accordance with our election promises, we are going to abolish the health fund
societies and replace them with several health funds linked with territorial self-
governments.
Fourth, the safety of citizens. Poland must become a safe country.
We are going to promote citizens’ initiatives in behalf of public law and order.
Widespread, properly organised social support may be of great help to the police in
combating crime.
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In the police we are going to introduce a registration system that will simplify the
documentation of trivial offences. Everyone who has reported such a happening knows
how much unnecessary and time-consuming bureaucratic red tape is involved in such
cases.
We are going to create and develop information systems that will make the work of the
police more effective – a central register of vehicles and drivers as well as a National
Centre of Criminal Information.
We are going to augment the role of the existing Central Bureau of Investigation in
combating the most dangerous forms of crime. We are declaring an all-out war on
criminals, no matter who they are, no matter how rich and influential they are.
Fifth, the administration of justice. An effective fight against crime cannot be limited to
uttering slogans about the necessity of introducing harsher sentences. The fight against
crime can only be won by combining proper harshness of sentences with effective and
rapid actions of penal prosecution agencies and the courts. That would create the
conditions so that the sentences handed down would be executed without delay.
Harsher sentences should be imposed for perpetrators of the most brutal crimes – even
if they are minors, in relation to organised crime and corruption, including the
confiscation of illegally acquired assets. Criminals must not be allowed to enjoy what
they have stolen.
The legal position and protection of the victim and witness of a crime will be
strengthened. Justice must work more quickly, for then it is more effective and more
economical.
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Very soon we are going to submit to the High Chamber a number of legislative initiatives
in this field.
Sixth, education and science. We are convinced that the lot of Poles in the 21 st century
will depend greatly on their education and skills. The greater they are, the more stable
will be our position in Europe and the world. Today only 8% of our citizens have higher
education. The states of the European Union have a twofold advantage over us in this
regard. In the next four years we are going to encourage drawing on the most modern
techniques for dissemination of knowledge and information through digital satellite
television and the Internet. That will facilitate access to education, if not for everyone,
then for most of those who are eager to acquire it, especially from rural areas and small
towns. We are going to carry out a programme to make secondary education universal
and to restore the social and protective functions of the school. One of the elements of
our educational programme will be to gradually reduce the age of starting school, to
teach a foreign language from the first grade and to develop computer literary in school.
The attitude towards science will of paramount importance in our activity. We are going
to activate additional instruments to strengthen the links of science with the economy.
We will undertake the necessary efforts so that the usefulness of science for
development of the economy will become the driving force of its own growth. Scientific
research cannot rely on public funds alone; it also needs to draw on money from non-
public institutions. We are going to support those institutions and research teams that
combine world-class quality of research with effectiveness in reaching their goals. We
are going to listen to the social needs that require scientific progress – in technology,
52
health care, improvement of the safety of citizens, protection of the natural environment
and highly respected Polish humanities.
Seventh, small and medium-sized enterprises. Small and medium-sized enterprises will
find money for investments and development in the banking system. We are convinced
that in a stable and predictable environment banks will be more willing to lend money to
fund projects. When the rules of the game are clear and the goals clearly defined, loans
will become cheaper and more readily available. We are going to work towards
supplementing the banking system with a system of local surety and loan institutions.
We are planning to introduce market regulations that will create table conditions for
agricultural production and food processing.
Eighth, the infrastructure. An important instrument for stimulating economic growth will
be development of the infrastructure, especially the road network, telecommunications,
the railway system and the infrastructure in rural areas. The condition of the
infrastructure will determine the development possibilities of many other areas of the
Polish economy, the level of integration with the European Union and NATO structures.
The investment needs in this area are enormous. The budget alone cannot satisfy them.
We can rely on a flow of aid funds from the European Union and are going to mobilise
private capital, including the public-private partnership in financing important social tasks
tested in the West.
Ninth, national defence. Despite the poor situation of public finance we are going to
continue the reconstruction and technical modernisation of the armed forces to make
them more mobile and better prepared to take part in combating terrorism. Programmes
are going to be implemented to develop armaments and military hardware. I declare the
53
co-operation of my government with all political forces to restore to defence matters
their deserved importance and to improve the material and social lot of soldiers.
Tenth, the European Union. Next year we are planning to conclude negotiations with the
European Union. We state this openly – that is our goal. We appreciate the efforts of
our predecessors in this field, but in order to achieve the ultimate goal we need to
pursue a more effective strategy than heretofore. That applies to all of the main areas of
this undertaking: the negotiation process, in which, while holding fast to our principles,
we must assume a more rational attitude in respect to concrete subjects; bringing more
influence to bear on the governments and societies of the countries of the European
Union to overcome the stereotypes and misgivings that still exist here and there in order
to gain the political support of the entire Fifteen for our membership; concentration of
means on adaptation actions in legislative and implementation aspects; active
promotion in our society of Poland’s membership in the Union, first and foremost by
making various social groups, professional or local, of the benefits of presence in the
European community. We also must learn how to make better use of the not
insignificant Union funds received under pre-accession assistance.
As Chairman of the European Integration Committee I am personally going to supervise
this area of government policy. We also plan to participate with full rights in the ongoing
debate on the future of the European Union, with the hope that this will be accorded to
us, as to the member states of the Union, as part the preparations for the next
intergovernmental conference in 2004.
Poland’s membership in the European Union is a task of the highest patriotism,
because it will determine our civilisational future. So it is not a goal in itself. The
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strategic task for my government is to raise the living standard of Poles, and one of the
ways of doing this is through Poland’s accession to the European Union.
Eleventh, foreign policy. In face of the difficult internal situation, especially in the
economy, and dramatic international events, my government intends to be firm and
resolute in protecting and promoting the interests of the Republic of Poland in
international life. That will require a tremendous effort and a studied and carefully
pursued foreign policy. I declare close co-operation in this area with the President of the
Republic of Poland, whose positive contribution to building up Poland’s international
position in unquestionable.
The tragic events of 11th September have reminded everyone in a drastic way of the old
truth that individual and collective security is not given once and for all. They also
reminded us that a secure state is the absolute value of all citizens and ensuring it is the
essential task of the government. Our membership in the Atlantic Alliance is of crucial
important here. We believe that NATO should preserve its original function as a
defensive alliance, but at the same time it should expand its involvement in stabilising
security, overcoming the crisis in the Euro-Atlantic zone and effectively taking up new
challenges, the most important of which today is fighting international terrorism.
Of crucial importance in this context is the continual presence and involvement of the
United States in the security of our continent. My government is going to work for even
closer bilateral relations with the United States and allied co-operation with America in
NATO. The alliance on repeated occasions has declared an open door policy. In my
firm conviction, the continuation of this policy – which should be reflected in concrete
55
decisions at the NATO summit in Prague in 2002 – would be a proper reading of the
signs of the times.
An unquestionable success of our state in the past decade is the thorough
reconstruction of Poland’s bilateral relations. We are going to continue and strengthen
this strategic choice. The government wishes to tap the reserves that inhere in the
Polish-German community of interests. Only yesterday I spoke about this with
Chancellor Schroeder. We are also counting on developing our ties with other states of
Western Europe, especially with our allies from NATO and our partners from the
European Union. The mission of my government will be to give Poland an active role in
Central and Eastern Europe. The new foundations of bilateral and multilateral relations
in this region that were laid in recent years are a precious value that must be protected
and developed – in the interest of Poland, the region and all Europe. Our partners from
the Visegrad Group and Baltic Sea region as well as the countries to the south and east
of Poland can count on us. Not only historical ties link us with those nations but also a
common concern for security, our strong desire to join the European Union and
experience of the painful problems of transformation of our system of government.
We are pleased with the new climate, new language and new initiatives that are
activating Poland’s relations with Russia. Business people are becoming ever more
prominent in Polish-Russian relations, and such people naturally introduce a pragmatic
language and effective actions to those relations. We are going to act constantly to
deepen the dialogue at the highest level. The meeting of the presidents of Poland and
Russia in January 2002 in Warsaw also should give a big boost to those relations.
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Our relations with Ukraine are characterised by stability in strengthening this strategic
partnership. We support an ambitious, multidirectional Ukrainian policy, although for
understandable reasons we are intent on Ukrainian activity directed towards its western
neighbours and partners, especially Poland. On our part we are going to do everything
that we can to make Polish-Ukrainian relations reflect the ever more European identity
of Ukraine and to tie it with the institutions to which Poland belongs or will belong.
It is impossible not to feel something lacking when we look at Poland’s relations with
Belarus today. We are going to look for ways to engage in dialogue and – where
possible – to bring our positions closer together. In that context we are especially keen
on fostering contacts between people.
Poland is going to develop relations with the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
We very much want to be present in those areas, also economically, and to awaken
greater interest in Poland, especially on the part of non-European countries with the
greatest potential. At the same time, we are going to make an indispensable
contribution to solving global challenges. That is why we are going intensify our contacts
with international organisations, including the United Nations.
Mr. Speaker! High Chamber! Deputies!
The scale of the internal and external challenges that we face today call for a bold new
approach to the solution of Polish problems, especially to the proportion between
political co-operation and rivalry. That will require strong leadership to reach
compromises and a social compact. I put the accent on co-operation and co-
responsibility over divisions and obvious differences.
57
I appeal to the president, Diet and Senate, to the judicial and local government
authorities, to opinion-forming circles and to all who feel the burden of responsibility for
the course of Polish affairs to create a climate for such co-operation. This is not for my
convenience and the convenience of my government but in order to prevent a
deepening of the economic and social crisis, to rebuild the economy more quickly and to
put us back on the growth path. The country needs your common effort.
Deputies!
I am submitting to the High Chamber the programme of the cabinet, and on the basis of
Article 154 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland I am asking for a vote of
confidence in the Council of Ministers in the composition that was approved by the
president on 19th October.
The ministers today are at the disposal of the Diet committees. We thereby are
resuming the custom of committee debates before a discussion of the contents of the
prime minister’s exposé.
At the same time, I declare that each year I am going to submit to the High Chamber
information about the work of the government and the stage of realisation of the above
programme.
Our country has great ambitions. Poland’s geographic position, which in the past was a
curse, now can be a great opportunity. Geographically speaking we are in the very
centre of the continent. Today Europe is still heterogeneous, politically and economically
divided. It differs in civilisation and the standard of living. But the unification of Europe is
going ahead – slowly, in stages, but incessantly.
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In Poland there are no internal racial, nationality or religious conflicts. We are a uniform,
well-knit country with no regional quarrels and animosities. There are not many such
peaceful, safe and friendly places in the world as Poland. Good business can be done
in Poland and with Poland. International trade and communication lines can cross here.
International investments should be made here that serve all directions of the world. It is
in our interest to create the conditions for this. Our prosperity and national security
depend on this.
Poland can be victorious. Poland must be victorious. I am convinced that together we
will achieve such a national victory.
Deputies!
Everything depends on you. Thank you for your attention.
OCTOBER
1ST – president Aleksander Kwaśniewski was on a visit to Brussels, where he met
with Chairman of the European Commission Romano Prodi. During the talks it was
agreed that Poland would end negotiations on entering the European Union by the end
of 2002, under the condition that both sides reach a compromise. „With great
satisfaction I state that in Poland parties won the election that are in favour of
integration with the Union. That is why negotiations will not be slowed down. Poland
does not lag behind the other candidates, even if it is behind some of the others in the
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number of closed chapters. All of the candidates are equally important for us, but
Poland’s importance is absolutely special” – said Romano Prodi. President Kwaśniewski
acknowledged that accession to the Union would be the top priority of the new
government.
2nd – United States President George W. Bush sent a letter to Leszek Miller in
which he congratulated him on the victory of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) – Union
of Labour (UP) coalition in the parliamentary elections. President Bush expressed
appreciation for the commitment of the SLD leader to „support to building an
international coalition to fight terrorism” in the world. „Our countries also must face
challenges connected with economic growth, which is the foundation for building the
future” – wrote George W. Bush. In his letter the United States President assured
Leszek Miller that the United States were ready to co-operate „to support American
investments and trade with Poland and to support Poland’s efforts on its road to
membership in the European Union”.
3rd – President Aleksander Kwaśniewski paid a visit to Germany, where he
attended ceremonies commemorating German Unity Day. „The second decade of
German unity is a chance not only for Germans but also for Europe and the world. It
depends on us whether the development of peace in Europe will become irreversible.
From this perspective the presence of the President of Poland is a special signal” – said
the Prime Minister of Baden-Wirtemberg Kurt Beck. Wolfgang Thierse, Chairman of the
Bundestag, also called attention to the importance of Polish-German détente. He added
that „the membership of Poland and the Czech Republic in the European Union will
create great prospects for Eastern Germany.”
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3rd – In Korczowa (Subcarpathian voivodeship) on the border crossing with
Ukraine the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration Marek Biernacki, Minister of
Internal Affairs of Belgium, which currently holds the EU presidency, Antione Duquesne
and Head of Europol Jürgen Strobeck signed an agreement associating the Polish
police and Border Guard with the European police. Poland is the first candidate country
to the European Union that has signed an association agreement with the European
Bureau of Police Europol. „The police and Border Guard have entered the European
Union before the Polish state” – said Minister Biernacki. Minister Duquesne emphasised
that Europol needs the Polish services to combat crime, just as Polish services need
Europol.
4th – President Aleksander Kwaśniewski held a telephone conversation with
United States President George W. Bush. The conversation took place on the initiative
of the American leader. President Bush thanked President Kwaśniewski for Poland’s
solidarity with the United States and „the moving spontaneous reaction of Polish society
to the tragic events of 11 September”. Aleksander Kwaśniewski assured his interlocutor
of Poland’s firm position in the battle with terrorism and of the will to co-operate closely
with the United States. Polish solidarity with America in the battle with terrorism finds
expression in the co-operation of the appropriate services of the two countries. One of
the main directions of this battle is to deprive terrorists of sources of financing. George
W. Bush emphasised that the recent events do not change the directions of the policy of
the United States, which he had outlined in his Warsaw speech.
5th – While on a visit to Brussels Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek met with
representatives of the European Commission. Prime Minister Buzek said he was
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expecting a good appraisal of Poland in this year’s report of the European Commission
on progress of the candidate countries to membership in the European Union. „I expect
that it will be at least as good as last year” – said Jerzy Buzek. In the opinion of the
Polish Prime Minister, these expectations are based on the fact that the legal
preparations have been concluded, the process of preparing institutions is moving
ahead well, and the state of the negotiations does not cause concern. „Recognition has
been expressed for the Polish strategy and method of negotiations, which is not to close
chapters quickly but to close them well, effectively and favourably for Poland” – said the
head of the Polish government.
6th – The College of Polish and Ukrainian Universities in Lublin inaugurated its
activity. The Presidents of Ukraine and Poland – Leonid Kuchma and Aleksander
Kwaśniewski – attended the ceremonies. For now, the college is the organiser of
studies for more than 106 doctoral candidates of Lublin colleges and universities, most
of them from Ukraine. In the future the college will be transformed into an independent
Polish-Ukrainian university. This idea has elicited wide support among the European
scientific community. The lecturers will include scholars from the Sorbonne. „We need
educated Europeans who will feel good not only in Kiev and Warsaw but also in Paris
and Oxford” – said Jerzy Kłoczowski, one of the founders of the school and head of the
committee of the college.
7th – President Aleksander Kwaśniewski delivered a special address in which he
announced that Poland firmly and with conviction stands at the side of the United States
in their fight with terrorism. „We declare our full support to the broad anti-terrorist
coalition and will give all possible assistance to our partners in such a difficult moment
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for them. This is not only on account of Poland’s obligations as a NATO member, but
stems from our feeling of international solidarity. The fight will be long, risky and painful,
it is going to require effort and many sacrifices, on the part of our society as well” –
assured President Kwaśniewski, reminding that Poles also died in the September
terrorist attack in the USA. Just before the start of the military action in Afghanistan
Aleksander Kwaśniewski spoke with Vice President of the United States Richard
Cheney, who assured him that the military actions are not directed at civilians and will
be conducted in tandem with humanitarian aid for the population
15th – President Aleksander Kwaśniewski was on a working visit to the Russian
Federation, where he met with President Vladimir Putin. It was decided that President
Putin would pay an official visit to Poland on 16 th – 17th January, 2002. Vladimir Putin
stated that „today there is not a single thorny problem” in contacts between Moscow and
Warsaw. President Kwaśniewski also stated that on preservation of the present status
of the Kaliningrad district Russia for Poland is ally number one. „For Warsaw
Kaliningrad is a part of Russia and there is no question about that. On the other hand,
we should think what could be done to draw this district into European and regional,
Baltic co-operation” – said Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who assessed his talks with
Vladimir Putin as „very long, very interesting and very open”.
th
19 – President Aleksander Kwaśniewski appointed Leszek Miller as head of the
Polish government and handed out 15 nominations to the ministers making up his
cabinet. Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz became foreign minister. Marek Borowski was
chosen Diet Speaker, and Longin Pastusiak became Senate Speaker.
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22nd – 24th – Head of the Bureau of National Security Marek Siwiec made a visit
to the United States, where he met with Undersecretary of Defence of the United States
Paul Wolfowitz, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Undersecretary of State
Mark Grossman and co-ordinator for combating terrorism Frank Taylor. Minister Siwiec
presented a list of proposals for the participation of the Polish government in the war
against terrorism. Marek Siwiec declared that the United States strongly support the
regional conference on terrorism that will be held in Warsaw on 6 th November. A
representative of the United States will also attend. Marek Siwiec spoke with CIA
Director George Tenet on the planned reform of the Polish special services. This was
the first visit of a representative of the Polish government on such a high level after 11 th
September.
23rd – While on a working visit to Poland the Prime Minister of Belgium Guy
Verhofstadt met with President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Prime Minister Leszek Miller
and Foreign Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz. Prime Minister Verhofstadt expressed
the conviction that the enlargement of the European Union is absolutely necessary. He
also said that the future of the world lies in federalisation. In his opinion, the world
should draw upon the good examples tried and tested by the European Union. In a
lecture entitled „The new world order after 11 th September” delivered in the European
College in Natolin the head of the Belgian government stressed that the planned
enlargement of the Union by admitting 13 countries within the next ten years – is „the
most ambitious task of our generation”.
23rd – Jan Truszczyński was appointed chief negotiator of Poland’s membership
in the European Union. He recently served as head of the Bureau for European
64
Integration in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. The new
negotiator announced a speeding up of the negotiation process, but he also said that he
would continue the exceptionally good work of his predecessor, Jan Kułakowski. Jan
Truszczyński is 52-years-old. After completing studies in foreign trade in the College of
Planning and Statistics he began work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1978-1982
he served in The Hague, in 1989-1993 he held the position of adviser of the minister in
Poland’s mission at the European Union in Brussels. In 1996 he was nominated to the
post of Polish Ambassador to the European Union. He regards as his greatest success
the inclusion of Poland in 1997 in the group of countries best prepared for negotiations
and qualifying to commence negotiations with the Union.
24th – Prime Minister Leszek Miller paid a visit to Germany, where he met with
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. „We cannot imagine that Poland would not be in the first
group of states that will become members of the Union” – said Chancellor Schröder,
who expressed understanding for Poland’s proposal to establish a transition period for
the acquisition of land by citizens of the Union. Prime Miller promised to speed up the
negotiations so that by the end of 2002 Poland would conclude them, thereby enabling
Poland to become a member of the Union in 2004. Leszek Miller emphasised that he
expects the same flexibility from Poland’s partners as they require from Poland. This
was the first foreign visit of Leszek Miller as head of the government. He stressed that
Germany is Poland’s most important economic and political partner.
25th – Foreign Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz presented the priorities of
Poland’s foreign policy during the joint session of the Foreign Affairs, European Affairs
and Contact with Poles Abroad Committees of the Diet: greater activity in NATO,
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gaining membership in the European Union, relations with neighbours and actions in the
region. Minister Cimoszewicz devoted the most time to European affairs. He said that
he cannot imagine that Poland would be unable to enter the Union at the planned time,
that is, by the end of 2004. „I will do everything to make that happen. We want to close
the negotiations by the end of 2002” – declared the head of the Polish Foreign Service.
29th – 30th – During a visit to Poland the President of Slovenia Milan K?can met
with President Aleksander Kwaśniewski. The presidents talked about preparations for
the conference on combating terrorism that will take place in Warsaw and on
enlargement of the European Union and NATO. President Kwaśniewski assured that
Poland would do everything so that Slovenia would be admitted to NATO in 2002.
President K?can said that Slovenia is counting very much on Poland’s help. The
presidents of Poland and Slovenia opened a factory in Warsaw of the Slovenian
pharmaceutical concern KRKA. „Poland is the second state where we have the most
investments” – said Milan K?can.
30th – While on a visit to Poland British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw met with
Prime Minister Leszek Miller and his counterpart Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz. In the
opinion of Jack Straw, the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 th September
should not change the calendar of the integration process in the European Union. „I
believe that the events of 11th September showed the need for closer co-operation of
the nations of the world to eliminate the threat of terrorism” – said Jack Straw, who
repeated Great Britain’s support for Poland’s membership in the EU as soon as possible
and assured that London will continue to support this process. The main subjects of the
talks held by the British Foreign Secretary in Warsaw, where he stopped off on his way
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to Moscow, were the fight with terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and the
enlargement of the European Union with new members, including Poland.
31st – Foreign Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz met with the diplomatic corps
accredited in Warsaw. „Politicians change, but Polish foreign policy in its fundamental
assumptions remains the same” – said Minister Cimoszewicz, who informed about the
organisational changes in his department. „Since the department has become the main
centre for co-ordination of the actions of the Polish government connected with
European aspirations, it is our intention to have the Polish Foreign Service assume
greater responsibility for representing the economic interests of our country” –
announced Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz.
