Chief EU negotiator Truszczynski outlines new strategy in accession talks

The new government's European Union (EU) negotiating strategy, to be officially approved on November 15, will focus primarily on the financial aspects of Poland's accession, with greater flexibility in other areas, reports Rzeczpospolita. Jan Truszczynski, Poland's chief accession negotiator, says that by next summer Poland needs to close all negotiation chapters that are not associated with EU financial aid. According to Truszczynski, once Poland manages to close all but two or three chapters it will be difficult for the EU to postpone the country's candidacy, and hence the alliance will be more willing to grant aid. The financial stakes of the accession talks are very high, because if Poland was to be fully covered by the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) it could receive more than euro 10 billion a year. The change in the strategy is also the result of the new government attaching greater importance than its predecessor did to ensuring the support of Germany. This means that Poland will likely agree to wait seven years after accession before its citizens are allowed to work in Germany and Austria. (Rzeczpospolita, Nov.10-11, p. B2) T.J.