GB No. 1(20)/96
(...) According to the press, the electoral postulates of the Swedish Green and the Leftist Party included, to cite the Gazeta Wyborcza 18.09/95, "necessary blocking of admitting Poland and other Central European countries to EU" which is professedly for our own good, as the GW journalist comments. I really doubt whether the Swedish Green are entitled to put forward such ideas without having studied opinions of at least part of Polish society about joining EU. However, I take their standpoint just as a warning: most of the leading Swedish parties support post-communist countries to enter EU.
In Poland institutions responsible for integration with the united Europe seem not to be interested in promoting knowledge about EU. They appear to be satisfied with data collected by the Centre for Public Opinion Probing, according to which most of Poles are for joining EU. And as the Centre does not ask what Poles know about the Union - everything is believed to be all right. I think that politicians do all they can not to allow the society participate in making the integration decision. Certainly, in the climax moment, i.e. after the pro/con integration referendum, a great campaign "pro" and a small one "con" will start. Some will find that it is 21st century problem. Well., this makes 5 years and it is not much. During such a period we were not able to change the Constitution, the basic document for any democratic country.
Voices of the Western NGO's say that there is a lot to change in the structure of the EU, in so important aspects as democracy and sustainable development. If you study the NGO's opinions carefully you will find out that the required changes in EU related to agriculture, transport and energy management should be much deeper. NGO's do not deny that united Europe is needed; they only want such legal and economic mechanisms to be established which would stimulate the member and candidate countries to develop sustainably. The EU structures we are heading for are not paradise on Earth. There are many shortcomings but I think that they should be an element of the common knowledge about EU.
Warszawa, 17. Oct. 1995
Krzysztof Kamieniecki
Instytut na Rzecz Ekorozwoju
(The Institute for Sustainable Development)
ul. Łowicka 31
02-502 Warszawa
reprinted from Zielone Brygady 11/95
translated by M. Maciejewska