2005 The year in brief: APRIL
Pope dies
Pope John Paul II dies on April 2 at the age of 85. He was the third longest-serving pontiff in history. The Pope had been suffering from breathing difficulties exacerbated by Parkinson's Disease. Polish-born Karol Wojtyła became Pope in 1978. He was the most widely traveled pontiff and visited more than 120 countries during his 26-year papacy.
Ukraine and the EU
President Aleksander Kwaniewski calls for the EU to start membership talks with Ukraine in 2006. He argues that Ukraine should have the same opportunity as Turkey to give its new pro-Western government an incentive to implement reforms.
BCA in Warsaw
Poland is chosen as the location of the EU's new Border Control Agency (BCA). The BCA will be the first EU body in a new member state. (Poland A.M.)
Publisher fined
The Polish publisher and distributor of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is fined zł.1.6 million by the Competition and Consumer Protection Office, after the discovery that the price offered by the publisher was about 10% less than the one printed on the book cover.
