Marek Siwiec MEP on Poland & Europe

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Articles by Marek Siwiec MEP

Brussels – a day like every day

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 15/05/12

1. Today the European Commission is supposed to adopt its annual report on the state of relations between the European Union and its partners from the Neighbourhood Policy. The document for the first time will apply to the new policy which we defined last year. And in the so-called meanwhile many things have happened…

2. There is a new word entering the EU language – GREXIT (Greek Exit). We know what it refers to but we do not know exactly how much it will cost the Greeks. The estimated depreciation of the new drachma to euro is at least 30%… By the way – Europe will certainly demand that Greece carry out a referendum on this issue.

3. Today Prime Minister Mykola Azarov arrives to Brussels. I will meet him in the evening and once again the same questions will be raised. I hope that the answers will be more promising that ever before.

EU Institutions, Europe's East, Global Europe
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The wind in the sails of Eurosceptics

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 14/05/12

If the German Finance Minister Schäuble says that the eurozone would survive Greek exit, it means that such scenarios are no longer the domain of journalists and become a task of practical financiers.

Wolfgang Schäuble added that he wants Greece to stay in the eurozone but only on the condition that the country will live up to obligations. While addressing his fellow countrymen, he stated that the eurozone is now more resistant than two years ago. The Minister’s optimism is forced and I do not share it at all. If it happened that the Greeks left the eurozone, it would be the first treaty step towards disintegration. In many areas Europe does not present the same level of integration (e.g. Schengen) but the Greeks would be the first to take a step back.

What will be the psychological and political consequences of such a movement, no one knows, but Eurosceptics across the continent will then get the wind in their sails.

Euro & Finance, Global Europe, Member States
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Start working!

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 11/05/12

I AM WRITING THIS TEXT IN CAPITALS BECAUSE THE ADDRESSEES OF THE PREVIOUS ONE (published on Wednesday) COULD HAVE SOME DIFFICULTIES READING IT. WHAT ELSE MUST HAPPEN TO MAKE POLISH DIPLOMACY WORK?

The previous text – 50 days of travel in a minefield

Yesterday, for a couple of hours, strange information was circulating around. It was about Van Rompuy (for the uninformed – the President of the European Council) who announced that the routine summit European Union – Ukraine will not take place, because he does not wish to see in Brussels the Ukrainian Prime Minister. Because of Yulia Tymoshenko, of course. I wiped my eyes in amazement. A few hours later, his spokesman denied this statement, mumbling something about his boss’ mistake, a kind of confusion between Yanukovych and Azarov. He also added that in general Van Rompuy was speaking about a meeting that took place last year.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD HAPPEN TO MAKE POLISH DIPLOMACY, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND PRIME MINISTER WORK AND BEGIN TO FIGHT FOR THE RESPECT OF THE POLISH POSITION IN THIS MATTER?

Mrs. Ashton, responsible for EU’s foreign affairs policy, has disappeared somewhere. Just in case. The EU’s foreign affairs policy is shaped by the EU’s member states, via their respective foreign ministers. Perhaps it’s time for minister Sikorski to find Mrs. Ashton and discuss this issue with her. It would be also useful if the Prime Minister called his friend Angela Merkel (for the moment there is no place to call in Paris) and presented the Polish position asking for restraint on the issue of football championship?

When Jose Manuel Barroso, followed by the entire Commission together with the Polish Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski, announced a boycott of the Euro 2012, Poland recognized that this is not the announcement of the storm. But it was. The European Union is now playing at “who will boycott Ukraine the most?” At the time of individual gestures, we could pretend that nothing was happening. But the matter has become European, ours. I would like to remind you that last year the negotiations on Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the EU were slowed down because of the imprisonment of the former Prime Minister. It was supposed to be a punishment. Today, we all decided to punish Ukraine again. And the real problems are yet to come, when the championships will begin…

EU Institutions, Europe's East, Global Europe
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50 days of travel in a minefield

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 09/05/12

The cancellation of summit in Yalta is painful for Ukraine. It is a warning before diplomatic isolation. It is not a boycott yet, but it is already an affront. Those who determine standards in this case are the people who did not want to come, and not those who wanted. The only positive thing about this situation is that we avoided a public plebiscite on which president is good, and which one is bad.

For Poland this situation is particularly troublesome. We must make every effort make sure that this affront, which Poland has not joined, will not inspire the EU countries for similar actions in the future. If it happened, the situation would be dangerous because we can clearly see that the Polish interests at this stage are different from the interests of e.g. Germany.

When I write about 50 days I mean dozens of matches and the days which precede them. What do I mean exactly? Will the Polish President invite Mr Yanukovych to Warsaw? (With all its consequences). Will the Polish Prime Minister accept the invitation from his partner Azarov to take part e.g. in the final in Kiev? And then – what will happen if during a match, gentlemen (not necessarily invited) meet and do not intend to shake hands?

The case is very serious and ahead of Poland there is the hardest piece of football diplomacy. A very specific one. When Foreign Minister will return from his important Asian travels, he should immediately inform his bosses who will participate in which matches and when. There is no place for improvisation here.

Since the Polish policy at this stage of “the crisis around Yulia Tymoshenko” has been determined – and it is not a boycott of its own event – then we need to choose appropriate instruments for its implementation. And this requires finesse and speed.

Europe's East
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Lugansk in Eastern Ukraine

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 08/05/12

According to the stereotype, Ukraine is divided into pro-Russian East and Pro-European West. I went to Lugansk (it is not possible to go further to the East) to see how much truth there is in this view.

I am not able to completely sum up the visit but one thing is certain – none from my interlocutors, from the regional authorities to professors and students from Taras Shevchenko University, has doubts that they want to be in the European Union. However, some images are touching and terrifying. For example, in the gallery of portraits of former rectors of the university, the first eight of them from 1921 to 1932 exercised their function for maximum two years. To my question – “Why?” – there was a simple answer – “they were all executed in Stalin’s time”.

Tomorrow Ukraine celebrates the Victory Day. On this occasion we laid flowers at the three monuments: the heroes of the war 1941-1945, mothers who lost their sons at that time and the people of Lugansk who were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

It would be difficult to put what I saw in Lugansk into a simple scheme. They are not pro-Russian, they are not against, they learn Ukrainian language and they treat the location of the city at the crossroads of two European routes (4 and 7) as a quirk of fate and a chance for economic development.

I will probably get back to this visit many times because I expected grim mining settlements, destroyed wildlife and “one-dimensional” elites. It was different.

Europe's East
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Julia invades the election

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 04/05/12

No, this time I will not write about Yulia Tymoshenko and Ukraine. Another Julia just invaded the election in the US. And more precisely – 12 Julias. This is the number of images of women included in The Life of Julia, which Barack Obama presents to voters.

Looking at the individual images in white background you can find out how the good President Obama makes women’s life easier. Below, in the dark, you learn how Mitt Romney wants this life to be more difficult.

The described cartoon shows how much the “women’s issue” is important in this campaign. Watching American television, I can conclude that this year’s presidential election will be decided by women and youth. Yesterday Mitt Romney accompanied by his wife visited the enterprising ladies in Virginia. This morning President Obama in the same state, in Arlington, will talk to teen girls (voters) on the credit facilitation for their education. We can say – both images are very socialist.

Mitt Romney takes the campaign very seriously. He has already spent over $ 46 million for 81 000 polling spots, leading a fratricidal fight in the primaries. He has a lot of money – the old Bush’s team (Karl Rove) took care of it. Obama starts his campaign only now. Until then he did not have to fight. He was present on the screen as the President but he published 24 000 paid advertisement anyway.

Generally, if we were to leave the traditional campaign and trust only the tweeting community, Obama would have won the election already last week. During this time more than 200 thousand people responded to his posts while to Romney’s ones – only 134 thousand.

Global Europe
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Let’s not boycott the tournament in Ukraine

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 03/05/12

German policy has focused on EURO 2012. You can hear the call for boycott. More and more politicians declare that they will not participate in the Ukrainian part of the tournament. In addition, they encourage UEFA to withdraw the matches from Ukraine and move them e.g. to Poland, Germany or Austria. I warn politicians, especially those from Poland, not to join this boycott.

Football is an opportunity to engage in politics. During matches very often heads of states sit next to each other, and as they sit, they need something to talk about. President Yanukovych has lost this opportunity. However, between non-attendance and boycott there is a long way. In Poland we need to understand (and I repeated it many times) that the football championship for Ukrainians is a national question – a source of pride, regardless of political views. Ukrainians deserve to have this tournament in their country in an atmosphere of festivity, in spite of all. Moreover, let’s not forget that without their operability Poland would not host championship for many years.

When I hear that Erika Steinbach calls for the withdrawal of the EURO 2012 in Ukraine, I feel angry. Neither she, nor smaller German politicians should bias us against Ukrainians. I expect that the Polish Prime Minister will firmly speak out on this matter. Besides, as a whole political class, just as we act together in defence of Yulia Tymoshenko, in this case we should separate sport from politics. If there was somebody in Poland who would like to take this opportunity to rob something from Ukrainians, I warn – the political costs in the mutual relations will be long lasting and serious. Regardless of who is in power at the Dnieper.

PS By the way, European dignitaries have proven that they have no idea what this whole football-politics is about. Commissioner on Justice Viviane Reding will not come to Warsaw for the opening match and Barroso will not attend the Ukrainian part of the championship. He will watch it on television.

EU Institutions, Europe's East
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Billions behind the eastern border

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 26/04/12

We got used to the impressive results of the Chinese economy. And we are not the only ones. A bit in the shadow of the giant there is Russia, where also interesting things are going on.

When Vladimir Putin ended the election festival, he began to speak specifically about the economy. He promised facilities for foreign investors, more economic freedom and that the economy will become a showcase of the new term.

The forecasts are encouraging. Western experts predict that during the next 5-7 years Russia will maintain the 3 percent economic growth and in the long term it might even reach 11 percent. Thanks to the high energy prices they attracted 514 billion dollars in reserves and the account surplus for last year was 100 billion dollars. Russia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and intends to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The country recently ratified the Convention on fight against corruption, which does not mean, of course, that Russia itself fought it off.

I encourage that, while calculating the Chinese billions, you look more friendly behind the eastern border.

Global Europe
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In sackcloth and ashes to Vilnius

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 20/04/12

My yesterday’s comments on the Polish-Lithuanian relations have aroused great interest of my colleagues Members of the EP Budget Committee.

They told me that at this stage of negotiations on the future financial perspective nothing has been decided, and the payers give the impression that they are not rushing to resolve the difficult dilemmas. No rush may mean that they will be waiting until the last minute to decide on the fate of such issues as the Cohesion Fund. It just so happens that the last moment will be the end of 2013. And so it happens that Lithuania will then hold the Presidency of the EU. Of course, by pure coincidence the current President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, used to be EU Commissioner for Budget and she has a great reputation in Brussels in this field.

If I were Prime Minister Tusk or Minister Sikorski, I would be preparing myself to the fact that the Lithuanians will have their say which will be significant at the moment of completing the key provisions of the future financial perspective. The proud musketeers from Civic Platform, who had promised Poles 300 billion zlotys before the parliamentary elections, should now put on sackcloth and ashes and book a date in the tight schedule of Lithuanian president.

EU Institutions, Member States, Priorities 2020
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A small one can do more

Posted by Marek Siwiec MEP on 19/04/12

The Polish history after 1989 is very much bound up with the countries that emerged after the transition in Central and Eastern Europe. We cared about good relations with our neighbours, repeatedly boasting about the fact that all the neighbours were new and we did not have any serious conflict with any of them. Something is changing in this area. The example of Lithuania and the evident coldness is very characteristic.

The Polish authorities have recognised that they can condescend to the Lithuanians. The famous declaration of the Prime Minister that the relations with Lithuania will be determined by the local Polish community, was followed by gestures and counter-gestures. I wonder whether the Polish President is satisfied to hear the Lithuanian partner saying that she did not come to Warsaw before the NATO summit because decisions are made in Washington. In a moment it will turn out that the proud Poland withdraws from patrolling the Lithuanian airspace and in this place will be someone else, such as the Norwegians.

This mechanism works even more acutely in the European Union. Poland is struggling to maintain the Cohesion Fund, which will give us a chance to complete infrastructure projects. The country fights, however, the more and more alone. The Baltic states do not support us. Romania and Bulgaria have other problems (Schengen), the Czechs speak the language of the net payers (?) and on our side so far is Slovakia…

In relations with Lithuania, Poland goes down a blind alley. We assumed that we must force our reasons and yet it appears that the small one finds support much easier than we thought, and not necessarily in Moscow.

Member States
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