Polish and British visions of Europe. Deputy Minister Piotr Serafin held talks with UK Minister for Europe David Lidington

While in Warsaw, Minister Lidington also discussed preparations in the run-up to the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius with MFA Undersecretary of State Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz.

The meeting with Deputy Minister Serafin was primarily an occasion to discuss the EU-US trade deal. The ministers agreed that finalizing the ongoing negotiations will bring economic benefits to both sides, but also has large geopolitical significance. "Reaching an agreement is our strategic goal. That\'s why, at the very outset of the negotiations we should identify sensitive topics and search for solutions in the course of the negotiations, so that we can lead to the positive conclusion of the agreement," underscored Deputy Minister Serafin. Other discussed topics included the EU internal market and the free movement of services.

At the MFA headquarters, Minister Lidington also met with Deputy Minister Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz. Their talks focused on preparations in the run-up to the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in Vilnius this November, in particular Ukrainian progress in implementing reforms that serve as a condition for the country to sign the association agreement with the EU. The talks also covered bringing Georgia, Moldova, and Armenia closer to EU standards and the possibility for these countries to initial association agreements.

"Domestic conflicts must not overshadow discussions at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius; Great Britain and Poland share a common position on this issue," underscored Minister Lidington. According to Deputy Minister Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, our policy vis-a-vis our Eastern neighbours should be not just realistic, but also take into account a strategic vision.

On Tuesday the British Minister for Europe, together with MFA Undersecretary of State Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, took part in a debate organized at the headquarters of the "Gazeta Wyborcza" daily, entitled "Future of Europe: The British and Polish Recipes". In a discussion attended by professors from top Warsaw universities and politicians, both ministers underscored that Poland and Great Britain share the key common interests, including EU enlargement to cover the Balkans and the development of the Eastern Partnership, energy policy, or plans regarding the free trade area agreement with the US.

"For Poland it has always been important to be in the centre of the integration process, which is significant not only in the economic sense, but also the political one. We declare our accession to the eurozone not only due to economic reasons. It is naturally becoming the core of European integration," emphasized Deputy Minister Mościcka-Dendys during the debate.

MFA Press Office