Brussels, 13/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on Tuesday 13 September, Polish President Bronis³aw Komorowski explained that the European Union must have a more effective policy towards its eastern neighbours. He added that the EU should not focus solely on its Mediterranean neighbours to the detriment of its eastern neighbours. He pointed out that all these countries are part of the EU's neighbourhood and therefore need a far-reaching policy, and the prospect of accession in the long term, even if that is a long way off. He explained that his thoughts turned in particular to Ukraine.
Thus, the Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Warsaw on 29 and 30 September will set out ambitious objectives in a very clear political statement. The eastern countries expect a message from us, he said, adding that they also need to know what kind of partnership they can expect.
On Monday 12 September, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, in Brussels. Among other things, they discussed enlargement and prepared for the Eastern Partnership summit. Tusk said they were both determined to ensure that the crisis does not jeopardise efforts for bringing the European countries that are close to Europe still closer and for finalising talks on European integration and enlargement. Van Rompuy asserted that the summit would provide an excellent opportunity to confirm the importance of EU relations with its eastern neighbours, and to give fresh impetus to their future cooperation. (C-C.G./tansl.jl)