7 November 2006
The visit by President Kaczynski marks a new chapter in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Poland. Our countries have a shared history. Today we have agreed a shared vision for the future.
The British and Polish governments want Europe to play an effective and influential role in the world, working closely with all our international partners.
We want an EU that delivers results - making a positive difference to people’s lives. An EU based on shared values, confidence and sustainable growth.
We will continue, together, to face the challenges that confront the modern world.
We are proud our troops are serving side by side in Iraq, Afghanistan and in the Balkans.
We will build on our already comprehensive bilateral co-operation, expanding our joint work into new areas such as judicial best practice and the fight against people trafficking.
Above all we will work together, as trusted friends and close partners, to achieve a safer, more just and prosperous world.
Working together in the EU
The entry of ten new Member States in 2004 was an historic moment for the European Union, creating the world’s largest single market. Poland’s journey to accession exemplified the success of EU enlargement. Since the Second World War Poland was denied the opportunity to play its full part in building European institutions and values. Following the end of the Cold War Poland has risen to this challenge. The Solidarity movement, in which President Kaczynski was actively involved, played a leading role. Since 1989 Poland has fulfilled a hard reform programme and achieved an impressive peaceful transformation, featuring excellent economic and political progress.
Thanks to the Single Market Polish workers are making a valuable contribution to the United Kingdom in many professions and throughout British society. British workers and businesses are enjoying new opportunities in Poland.
Poland and the UK believe that Member States should continue to work towards delivering the ambitious agenda agreed at Hampton Court and the Lisbon economic reform targets to deliver for our citizens and enhance Europe’s competitiveness in the world economy.
The UK and Poland agree that the Working Time Directive must reflect the principles of individual freedom to decide their own working patterns and ensure that our labour markets remain flexible. We will work together to defend these principles in Council.
The UK and Poland, together with our EU partners, are determined to show strong leadership in combating climate change. We have only 10-15 years to take the steps needed to avoid crossing catastrophic tipping points. Europe’s dilemma is that it must grow its economy to ensure the wellbeing of its population, but much of the energy needed for growth will come from fossil fuels. So energy security and climate security are two sides of the same coin. We will work together within the EU to develop energy relations with other producer and transit countries, including Russia, bringing open, transparent markets to the EU’s neighbourhood.
The UK and Poland are committed to further enlargement of the EU. We welcome the European Commission’s recommendation that Romania and Bulgaria should join the Union on 1 January 2007. We remain committed to EU accession by Turkey and Croatia, and support their efforts to meet EU membership criteria. This option should also be open to Ukraine. We support Ukraine’s early entry into the WTO, which opens the way for a Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and the Union. The EU is discussing how to reform its institutions in the light of enlargement. We welcome a discussion about the future functioning of the EU, but believe that this will best be achieved by ensuring a clear and strong role for the Union’s nation states. The most important thing is that the EU should focus on making progress on issues of practical importance to citizens: energy, jobs and growth, innovation, security and migration. The United Kingdom and Poland intend to work together to play a full and active part in this debate.
Next year we will celebrate the Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and 50 years of achievement including the spread of peace, security, prosperity and democracy. We look forward to engaging constructively on the declaration setting out Europe’s "values and ambitions" next March.
Working together in the world
The long history of UK-Poland military co-operation continues. The contribution of Polish pilots to the Battle of Britain and the Polish contribution to the Allied intelligence effort (including the Enigma machine) can never be forgotten.
The United Kingdom and Poland unreservedly support the development of democracy worldwide. Likewise we will take all necessary action to protect our citizens from terrorism. We both recognise the central importance of a close EU relationship with the USA.
The United Kingdom and Poland warmly welcome the formation of Iraq’s first democratically elected permanent government. Iraq’s leaders deserve principled international support: the Multi-National Force will not bow to terrorism but continue its mission until its job is done. The United Kingdom and Poland will work in close partnership with the Iraqi government to ensure that Iraqi Security Forces can assume full responsibility for security.
In 2007 UK and Polish forces will also be side by side in Afghanistan helping its government bring order and stability. These deployments are part of a wider ambition to make the EU and NATO strong and effective in their crisis response and peace support operations.
We congratulate the new UN Secretary General and wish him well in taking forward many important reform measures.
Poland and the UK underline the importance of reinforcing EU co-operation with Eastern European neighbours in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy.
We deplore the repressive activities of the current Belarus leadership. The UK and Poland are committed to help the people of Belarus end its unnecessary and damaging isolation and start in turn to move to join the modern European family.
The United Kingdom and Poland are concerned by the lack of progress in the resolution of conflicts in the South Caucasus, and in particular by the deterioration of Georgia-Russia relations.
We share deep concern at Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes, its attitude to Israel and its support for terrorism. We will support efforts to bring about reform and respect for human rights.
We welcome North Korea’s agreement to an early resumption of the Six Party Talks. It is important, however, that we continue to work together for full and speedy implementation on UNSCR 1718.
Working together as partners
As one of the fastest-growing European economies Poland is the United Kingdom’s largest export market in Central and Eastern Europe. The UK’s annual exports to Poland are worth £1.5bn, and growing. The value of Poland’s exports to the United Kingdom is over £3bn annually. Since 1989 British companies have invested more than £2.3bn in Poland. Investors value Poland’s market, location, skilled workforce and research potential. We also welcome new initiatives of co-operation in high technologies.
Poland and the United Kingdom welcome the recent signing of bilateral agreements including one on the security of classified information. A new UK-Poland convention to avoid double taxation was signed on 20 July 2006. It will benefit individuals and businesses by ensuring certainty of treatment and reducing compliance burdens. It has provisions to combat tax avoidance and evasion. It will help in particular many Poles currently living and working in the UK. We hope to secure approval of the new convention by the UK and Polish parliaments so that it can take effect in 2007.
The very openness and dynamism of the EU’s internal markets require effective action against those seeking to take improper or illegal advantage of them. This year has seen active JHA co-operation between the United Kingdom and Poland. To help improve our co-operation against illegal migration, human trafficking, cigarette and drug smuggling we signed a bilateral Security Agreement on 18 August 2006 to speed up information sharing. At the informal grouping of G6 Interior Ministers that met on October 25-26 the UK and Poland endorsed further work to combat illegal immigration. Tomorrow P oland will host a meeting of senior officials from the largest EU member states to discuss ways to tackle trafficking across the EU. We are co-operating on the seizure of criminal assets and combating crime.
The UK and Poland are committed to sharing best practice in the field of consular assistance with the aim of providing modern services to our citizens world-wide.
The UK and Poland want to see our disabled citizens playing a full part in the workplace and wider European society. Three jointly sponsored events on this important policy area are taking place in November and December in Warsaw.
The Polish Government has ambitious plans for promoting Poland, and especially Polish culture, in the United Kingdom in the coming years. The British side welcomes Poland’s plans to organise a Polish Season in the UK in 2009/2010 and looks forward to working with Polish partners as appropriate in this area. Both Poland and the United Kingdom express their commitment to celebrate the work of Joseph Conrad in the coming Conrad Year 2007.
Following this visit we will launch regular high level consultations to facilitate further close working between the UK and Poland, focusing initially on EU Budget & CAP Reform, Energy, the future of the EU and the Constitutional Treaty.
Poland and the UK are old friends in our new Europe. We look forward with optimism as partners working closely together to achieve our shared ambition for a strong, effective Europe, in a safer, more just and prosperous world.
delicious
digg
facebook
