Polish deputies begin to find their place in the European Parliament

Deputies from countries aspiring to join the European Union arrived at the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday to take part in a debate on EU enlargement. This is the first time Polish deputies have participated in a EU parliamentary debate. The Polish delegation consists of 18 deputies from the Democratic Left Alliance, five from the Civic Platform, four each from Self-Defense, Law and Justice and the Polish Peasants Party, as well as two from the Labor Union and one from the National Conservative Alliance (SKL). All the deputies have to declare which European Parliamentary group they intend to join. Self-Defense leader Andrzej Lepper as well as his three colleagues will act independently. "Mr Lepper is a democratically elected Sejm deputy and will be respected here. We have different views, but long-live differences," EU Parliament Speaker Pat Cox told journalists. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A6) A.Z.