26 November 2003
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
Mrs
Helena Mizniak
President
Europejska Unia Wspolnot
Polonijnych,
240 King Street
London
W6 ORF
Dear Pani Helena
10th ANNIVERSARY OF THE EUROPEAN
UNION OF POLISH EXPATRIATE ORGANISATIONS
Poland
is a country that has always been very close to my heart and I am
sorry not to be able to celebrate this anniversary with you
tonight.
I am
delighted that the EU will shortly count
Poland
among its members. This is an historic step for Poland and
demonstrates the huge effort the Polish people have made in the
last few years to put their country on a path to membership.
This is also an exciting
opportunity for the EU. The accession countries will bring much
needed dynamism
and inject new blood into
Europe.
It is the beginning of a new era and I am looking forward to the
challenge of working in an EU of 25. As globalisation makes the
world smaller, the EU will need
to increase its
interaction with the rest of the world and particularly the
countries with which it shares its borders. The new borders of the
European Union will not form a new iron curtain.
The UK will want to
build on Poland's
expertise in relations with the EU's new neighbours to the East,
Poland and the UK have
always had a close relationship. The enormous sacrifice and
hardship suffered by the Poles in the Second World War has not
been forgotten. The forthcoming State Visit of President
Kwasniewski to Britain is an opportunity to celebrate that
relationship and strengthen ties for the future. President
Kwasniewski will be received by Her Majesty the Queen on 4-7 May
2004. We will celebrate our flourishing relationship a few days
after Poland
joins the EU. I
look forward to an enduring friendship with
Poland.
Yours sincerely
Denis MacShane Minister for
Europe
