Chancellor Schroeder expresses support for Poland's early EU accession

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has given assurances of his country's support for Poland's European Union (EU) entry. During a meeting with President Aleksander Kwasniewski in the border city of Szczecin, Schroeder said that it was in the national interests of Germany for Poland to be among the first new members of the EU. "We want Poland to be in the first group, and we expect that after the elections the negotiations will receive new dynamics," he said. He reiterated his view in a meeting with Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, saying that Poland's accession to the EU in the first group was in both the political and the economic interests of Germany. Schroeder said he respected what had been achieved by Poland economically, because the progress had been made without any external assistance. Buzek and Schroeder also announced that by August 23, a solution should be found in the dispute over the calculation of damages for Poles forced to work as slave laborers under the Nazis. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A6) P.W.