Modest progress in EU negotiations
Poland moved slightly closer to European Union (EU) accession last week, though not as far or as fast as some of its peers. And in some areas, Poland appears to be moving away from the EU.
The negotiation round came as anti-EU rhetoric in the Sejm heated up and some opposition deputies accused the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)-led government of giving away too much during negotiations.
During formal negotiations among chief negotiators last week, Poland closed one negotiation area, or chapter, on company law and resolved issues related to the pharmaceuticals industry to formally wrap up talks on the free movement of goods, according to Polish and EU officials.
The successful talks in the two chapters focused on a five-year transition period before local pharmaceutical firms would have to register drugs according to EU standards and having the Polish companies acknowledge EU drugs patents issued since Jan. 1, 2000, officials said.
Other candidates, including some that started talks a year later, have whipped past Poland in negotiations. Last week the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia advanced. Compared with Poland's 19 chapters, all candidate countries aside from Bulgaria and Romania have closed more. Hungary and Cyprus lead the way with 23.
Poland, which under the new government has offered significant concessions in an attempt to invigorate negotiations, hopes to pick up the ball again when foreign ministers meet Dec. 11-12, Polish officials said.
The country does not yet have a detailed schedule but Haczyk said the Polish team expects free movement of capital, which includes land sales, and free movement of labor to come up. The topics are two of the toughest and have raised political stakes at home.
In other negotiation areas, Poland and the EU also discussed the country's Special Economic Zones (SEZs), a major sticking point between the sides. The EU believes that Poland is working against European rules and regulations and provides too many subsidies to firms and wants some deals, made before 2001, rescinded.
"It's a tough topic for negotiation," said Ewa Haczyk, spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry's Committee on European Integration (KIE). Poland wants a transition through 2017 that would effectively grandfather in previously struck agreements. The EU officially asked for further information on the zones in Poland and the government has one month to reply, Haczyk said.
With justice and home affairs, the EU is looking for Poland to improve its border controls but during talks in Brussels last week Poland's chief negotiator Jan Truszczyński told EU diplomats that Poland would delay visa requirements for eastern neighbors. Haczyk said visas would be introduced for Russia and Belarus in 2002 or 2003 and for Ukraine when Poland joins the EU.
"There are no problems with those countries," she said. "The only problem is the money. Poland has no money for consular services in those countries."
Jeff Sparshott
