The President says Yes

We have already come a long way in our efforts to accede to the European Union. Now, as the accession process has entered its final phase, Poland's membership in the European Union is within reach. I am looking forward to the European Council in Copenhagen which is to take the final decision and close the accession circle "From Copenhagen to Copenhagen." It will pave the way for the EU enlargement to take effect in the beginning of 2004.
Currently, we are faced with a twofold challenge: on the one hand, we are focused on the most sensitive negotiation problems still to be solved by the end of 2002; yet, on the other hand, as the accession date has been approaching, the strategic question on Poland's presence within the enlarged European Union is given a fresh relevance.
There are several factors which will determine the consequences of our EU accession. The outcome of the negotiation endgame will definitely shape the first years of our presence in the European Community. Yet, in the long term perspective, the state of our preparations to function within the Union at the level of state, regions, local authorities as well as the citizens themselves, will play a central part.

Bearing this in mind, the Presidential Palace has already hosted two conferences on Poland's strategy for the first two decades of the 21st century. Organised in close co-operation with the Polish Academy of Sciences, they demonstrated how vital and urgent it is to come out with a vision and strategic planning going beyond the short-term perspective of concluding negotiations. To this end, I also initiated the works of the Reflection Group, which meets regularly and gathers the representatives of public administration, think tanks and renowned authorities to discuss the future of Europe and Poland's place within it.
I am positive that after Poland' s accession our external borders must not become the new dividing line in Europe with prosperity and stability on one side, poverty and instability on the other. We need to discuss an updated and coherent EU policy towards its new neighbours. To this end, Poland has an enormous potential to largely contribute to fostering both political and economic co-operation of the EU with our Eastern neighbours. The eastward enlargement is accurately defined as a globalisation on a European scale that will have positive and far-reaching economic implications.

Taking necessary actions in this area is of crucial importance when we bear in mind the constant development and improvement of the Union's economy, the level of its competitiveness and standards. It will be a particular challenge for Poland and the other candidates to deliver in many of the targets set currently by the Union while implementing the Lisbon strategy. Yet, at the same it is also emphasised that new member states may enrich the Lisbon agenda with their particular strengths and experience resulting, for example, from their recent transition processes.
The EU accession should be seen as an incentive for Poland and the other candidates to adopt and implement key economic, social and environmental objectives. It has already motivated us to make enormous efforts, and I am positive that it will continue to take us further along the road chosen several years ago - the road of structural reforms, modernisation and innovation of Poland's economy.
A great challenge ahead of us will be to make the best use of new opportunities offered by managing transfers of EU pre-accession and structural financial assistance. To this end, it is ever more important to precisely define the catalogue of the most immediate priorities. I am confident that the best way to find the impulses needed to push forward the economic and civilisation development of Poland will be to come up with an integrated approach in three key spheres: education, research and ICT technologies.
Europe of the 21st century has already become e-Europe. And Poland cannot afford to be left behind in this regard. We must maximise the use of ICT technology not only in education and science, but also in administration and economy.

To make an EU enlargement a success story a greater effort has to be made on all sides to widely communicate the importance and advantages of this process so as to firmly anchor the European project among our citizens. An extraordinary chapter in the history of Europe is being written, and our citizens need to understand its significance, first and foremost its practical benefits. The facts and arguments are there. We need to convey them to the public, to talk to people and explain that both for the current and future member states the enlargement will be good in terms of economic growth, job creation, higher environmental standards and cultural diversity. We must do more in the field of effectively combatting stereotypes, which shows the costs and consequences of delaying enlargement. It is a grand task for all of us: politicians, opinion makers, business circles and NGOs. The decision of Poland's accession to the European Union will be taken in the nationwide referendum, and we must do our best to make it possible for our citizens to get information and present their views in this regard.
The developments of the next days and weeks will be of vital importance for the immediate future of the accession project, but their outcome will also determine the future of our continent in the long perspective. I am convinced that Poland will make every effort to manage the enlargement process effectively while the current member states will be also deeply committed to this task and confirm in practice the fundamental principle of European solidarity. It will guarantee that the content of the final product - the Accession Treaty - will stand up to our ambitions and aspirations by ensuring political stability, accelerated economic growth and strengthening the Union's position on the international political scene.