Ending the EU lollygag
Former Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek made a comeback of sorts last week when he was voted in as the head of the newly formed parliamentary commission on European law. The commission, made up of deputies from all ends of the country's political spectrum, is charged with speeding up efforts at bringing Polish law in line with the expectations and standards of European countries west of the Odra.
The reinstatement of Geremek as a key player in Poland's international politics is a good sign inside the country and abroad that integration with the European Union (EU) remains the key foreign policy challenge and the key legislative, social and economic priority facing the country during the next few years. Up to now legislators have been lollygagging over the passage of these laws. Due to the poor progress of pro-EU legislation, Poland's reputation as the EU's favored candidate child has suffered immensely. In addition, because of the delay committee members are now faced with the daunting challenge of fast tracking some 200 laws that will have to be on the books before Poland is accepted as a member.
While Geremek is a natural choice for this formidable challenge, he was by no means a shoe-in for the job. To the last minute, Solidarity Election Action (AWS) was pushing for the chairmanship to be a rotating position, which would mean that the committee would have a new fearless leader from a different party every three months. Such a solution would have been a sure recipe for further legislative calamity.
Hot off the seat as the head of the Foreign Ministry, Geremek brings to the job his reputation as an esteemed and effective elder statesman outside of Poland. Inside the country, Geremek commands the respect of all parties despite his membership in the centrist Freedom Union (UW).
With the leadership issue settled, the 44 committee members need to roll up their sleeves and get down to hard work. The name of the game should now be effective cooperation and quality legislation. The committee's task is not to come up with legislation that is optisch gut, aimed solely at winning the approbation of Western counterparts.
Neither should ideology and historical grudges direct parliamentarians. Committee members would do best to avoid the type of legislative Frankensteins that have come out of the Sejm in recent months, such as the universal enfranchisement law now in the process of being amended while in the Senate by one of its authors.
The laws in question touch every aspect of Polish economic and social life from environmental protection and agriculture to education and business. These pro-EU laws will in essence dictate the path that the country will develop along well into the 21st century.
