European Commission President Romano Prodi urged Polish people to take their future into their own hands on Monday by voting to join the European Union in a June 7-8 referendum
Published:
20 May 2003 y., Tuesday
"I say simply: Take a decision to live as a protagonist ... this is the great occasion," Prodi told a joint news conference with Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller during a visit to Warsaw.
Poland is the next of 10 EU members-to-be to go to the polls to vote on membership of the bloc, following votes in favor of joining in Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia.
While the latest poll has shown that 72 percent of Poles back membership of the bloc, deep concerns have revolved around turnout, as the referendum will only be valid if more than half of registered voters cast their ballots.
The Polish concerns were highlighted by a low turnout of 52 percent in neighboring Slovakia at its referendum over the weekend.
Describing the referendum as "one of the biggest events of Polish history" Prodi said that Poland's role in Europe was "vital and essential" and that because of its size Poland's referendum was the most important of all the candidates.
He said he had agreed with Miller on the importance of strong transatlantic links and a strong role for the United Nations in postwar Iraq, AFP reported.
Šaltinis:
Poland News
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
On 28 July at the square in front of the Ministry of National Defence the solemn initiation ceremony of the assigning of the Chief of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania was held.
more »
On 28 July, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sven Alkalaj, who was paying an official visit to Lithuania.
more »
Lithuanian Minister of National Defence and Estonian Defence Minister by phone discussed readiness of Baltic Battalion to be on duty in NATO Response Force after the information that due to extremely difficult economic situation Latvia will decrease its input into the battalion.
more »
In the evening of 27 July in Brussels at the end of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting and before the EU-Belarus consultations, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Ušackas met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus S. Martynov.
more »
On 27 July in Brussels, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and EU Foreign Ministers discussed the situation in Georgia and its neighbourhood.
more »
Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas met with Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Össur Skarphedinsson, Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security Árni Páll Árnason and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs Árni Thór Sigurdsson.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė received the Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi.
more »
On 23 July in Stockholm, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė and Swedish Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmström discussed priorities of Sweden’s EU Presidency.
more »
Lithuania’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Ušackas had a telephone conversation with Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Össur Skarphedinsson, during which the Ministers discussed Iceland’s decision to apply for the European Union membership.
more »
Acting in conformity the Constitution of Lithuania and based on the proposal submitted by Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, President D. Grybauskaitė has approved the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
more »