Business lobby rushes to present its proposals to the EU

Polish businesses have been slow in promoting the interests of their respective industries to EU accession negotiators, but with the talks entering their critical phase, entrepreneurs are now lobbying harder. According to Poland's chief accession negotiator Jan Kulakowski, it is not yet too late for businesses to present their proposals. However, if they had done so sooner, it would have been easier to formulate negotiation platforms. Poland has already closed 17 negotiation chapters and Kulakowski said that they are unlikely to be reopened, so potential motions from lobbyists should not regard these areas. The only likely exception where a chapter may be re-opened is the case of pharmaceuticals. Though Poland initially agreed to accept EU law, it has since turned out that doing so would mean excluding all domestic pharmaceuticals producers from the market until they obtain EU certification. Kulakowski also stressed that he would only consider business proposals which are well supported with analyses and figures, as these are the only ones likely to appeal to the other side of the negotiating table. (Puls Biznesu, p.4) T.J.