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Europe
Poland |
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Last reviewed: 20 July 2009 |
Country information
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Poland joined the EU on 1 May 2004. The public voted in favour of accession in the referendum held on 8 June with 77% of the vote on a turnout of 59% of the electorate. It was during the Prime Minister's visit to Poland in October 2000 that he suggested in a speech in the Polish Stock Exchange, that 2004 be the target date for Enlargement of the European Union.
Poland joined NATO on 12 March 1999 and plays an active part in UN affairs and peacekeeping missions. It has played a solid role in Kosovo and more recently in Afghanistan, and supported the invocation of Article V in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US.
In Iraq, Poland continued to provide strong support to the Iraqi interim government from 2003 until October 2008, commanding the multinational division of the Central-South zone.
Poland aims to use its strong relations with its eastern neighbours to form a bridge between West and East, between the EU and Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. An example of this was Poland's joint proposal with Sweden in June 2008 to develop an EU 'Eastern Partnership' initiative, which would strengthen the relationship between the EU and eastern members of its Neighbourhood Policy. Another example of Poland's influence was during the ‘Orange Revolution’ in Ukraine, during which ex-President Kwasniewski played an important role in contributing to a final outcome that was both peaceful and democratic.
More generally, the Poles have strong interests in promoting economic growth, civil society and good government in the cross-border area. They see this as the best way to combat organised crime, notably human trafficking and smuggling, drugs and illegal immigration. The UK sponsors Polish NGOs to deliver assistance projects in these areas.
Poland's Relations with the UK
Bilateral relations are excellent.
An FCO-funded Action Plan helped Poland prepare for EU membership. Post-accession, the UK Government continued to assist the Polish Government in getting to grips with the impacts of economic re-structuring. The British Embassy in Warsaw was involved in 8 projects under the FCO's Global Opportunities Fund (GOF): Reuniting Europe scheme, which offered financial assistance with objectives of, for example, the "creation of a pro-business environment" and "building capacity in the Polish legal sector".
The Embassy continues to receive funding from the successor to the Global Opportunities Fund, the Strategic Programmes Fund, for its work to promote a low carbon, high growth global economy. This includes a Tactical Fund for projects run with external partners. The Embassy also continues to support the Polish Government in projects linked to internal reform through its Bilateral Projects budget. This includes, for example: work to help develop Poland's Disability Discrimination Act; training for Polish prosecutors on handling human trafficking cases; a project with the Polish Prison Service and British National Offenders Management Service on managing sex offenders.
Further details are available on request from the British Embassy in Warsaw.
In July 2005, the Foreign Secretary and the Polish Foreign Minister launched the Anglo-Polish Historical Committee report detailing the enormous contribution made by Polish intelligence agents to the Allied cause during World War II.
Our relations have become especially close in the defence field, with our troops serving together in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and in Iraq. Regular joint military training exercises are conducted.
President Kaczynski’s visit to the UK on 7 & 8 November 2006 represented another high in our bilateral relationship. His visit included meetings with Her Majesty The Queen and Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as a visit to Edinburgh.
In March 2007, the UK and Poland agreed a ‘European Dialogue’, signed by then Foreign Secretaries Margaret Beckett and Anna Fotyga. It foresees at least 2 high-level (Ministerial or senior official) meetings per year. See below for a list of recent visits.
Cultural Relations with the UK
There is an active British Council in Warsaw, one of the largest British Council operations in the world. The main service is English-language teaching, and HM The Queen opened the teaching centre in 1996.
In the UK there are various cultural centres, catering for the large Polish community in the UK. They cover a wide range of interests. In London, one example is the Polish Cultural Institute, a non-profit organisation set up by the Polish Foreign Ministry.
Cultural Relations with the UK
several regional learning centres around Poland. For more information visit http://www.britishcouncil.org/poland.
In the UK there are various cultural centres, catering for the large Polish community in the UK. They cover a wide range of interests. In London, one example is the Polish Cultural Institute, a non-profit organisation set up by the Polish Foreign Ministry.
Recent Visits
Inward
- Ludwik Dorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister - March 2006
- Rafal Wisniewski, Junior Foreign Affairs Minister - March 2006
- Zbigniew Ziobro, Justice Minister - April 2006
- Radosalw Sikorski, Defence Minister - May 2006
- Stanislaw Kluza, Finance Minister - June 2006
- President Lech Kaczynski - November 2006
- Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga - January 2007
- Elzbieta Jakubiak, President’s Chef de Cabinet - February 2007
- Radoslaw Sikorski, Foreign Minister – April 2008
- Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, UKIE Minister – June 2008
- Maciej Lopinski, PM’s Chancellery – July 2008
- Marian Cichosz, Deputy Justice Minister - June 2008
- Zbigniew Cwiakalski, Justice Minister- September 2008
Outward
- HRH The Princess Royal - February 2006
- Ian Pearson, Minister for Trade - April 2006
- Geoff Hoon, Europe Minister - June 2006
- PM Tony Blair - June 2007
- Pat McFadden, Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, BERR – November 2007
- Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee – March 2008
- HRH Prince of Wales – April 2008
- Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health – July 2008
- Jim Murphy, Minister for Europe – September 2008
- Lord Digby Jones, Minister for Trade – September 2008
- Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – October 2008
