EU needs bigger role on international stage

Poles believe the EU should have a stronger position in international relations than the US, and to this end the bloc should appoint its own Foreign Minister.

According to a recent Transatlantic Trends Survey by the German Marshall Fund of the US, Poles say that although the EU needs to step up its international efforts, the partnership between the EU and the US in terms of safety and international relations should be increased. Half those surveyed say the EU needs a Foreign Minister.

Most Polish people are in favor of further EU enlargement, and believe it will support peace and democracy. Unlike most EU countries, Poland does not see any threats from China's expansion.

"Polish opinions are increasingly similar to the opinions of Europeans and increasingly different to those of Americans. We still have a warmer feeling towards the US than the rest of Europe. We differ in a number of matters but they are not dramatic," says Jacek Kucharczyk, a sociologist and director of the Institute of Public Relations.

In general, the survey shows that in the US, support for actions promoting democracy is falling.

Over half of the EU and US population finds democracy and Islamic aims incompatible. Respondents, especially from Western Europe, see China as a growing economic threat. Support for NATO is dipping and there is a growing debate over the EU's future military role.

Ronald D Asmus, director of the German Marshall Fund of the US in Brussels, says the US needs to patch up its relations with the EU, which worsened as a result of the war in Iraq, and it needs to concentrate in particular on repairing relations with Germany, France and the UK "when Blair goes." Poland and Romania remain the most pro-American countries.