Poland praised for progress in key sectors

Date: 05/10/00

DIPLOMATS say the "mood will be good" as Union and Polish ministers meet next week in the afterglow of last month's landmark farm-trade deal, but plenty of other problems remain.

Several unresolved issues related to Poland's association agreement with the EU and, by extension, to the country's eventual membership of the bloc are on the agenda for next Tuesday's (10 October) meeting between the two sides.

Poland will present member states with a new programme for restructuring its steel industry, including a report on the steps it has taken toward privatisation. Warsaw has promised that further state aid to the industry will consist mainly of money to pay for retraining laid-off workers.

European Commission officials say they are pleased with the progress Poland has made on steel and agricultural trade. "The mood will be good at the meeting," said one.

Now the Union will push Warsaw to introduce additional reforms to prepare the country for EU membership. The main area under discussion next week will be the Polish legal system, which has been plagued by allegations of corruption. There is also concern over inadequate border controls in what is set to become the Union's eastern-most member state.

A Commission report issued last month criticised Poland for being to slow to implement new controls demanded by the Union to tackle corruption in the police and customs service.

The EU is also expected to voice concern over Warsaw's recent adoption of a law protecting the Polish language. "There is a question of how it is related to foreign trade documents," said one diplomat.

But the Poles are also optimistic that relations with the Union will improve now that the long-running argument over agriculture has been settled. "It will make the atmosphere of the talks much better," said one Warsaw diplomat.

Diplomats say the 'mood will be good' as Union and Polish ministers meet in the afterglow of the recent landmark farm-trade deal, but plenty of other problems remain on the agenda for the meeting on 10.10.00.