Poland in the EU

The video conference of the education ministers of the EU Member States was an opportunity to exchange information and experience on the impact of coronavirus on the functioning of education systems, in particular in the field of remote teaching.

On 10 April 2010, a special TU-154M plane with the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński and the First Lady Maria Kaczyńska on board took off from Warsaw to Smolensk. On that very day the members of the official delegation were to participate in the ceremonies taking place in the Katyn War Cemetery, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the crime committed there. The aircraft carried 96 people, including members of the highest state authorities, representatives of various social circles and religious denominations, high-ranking military commanders and the plane’s crew. All the flight passengers died in the air disaster which took place during landing at the airport near Smolensk.

The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it approved a Polish loan and guarantee scheme worth 700 million euros (approx. PLN 3.5 billion), designed to support the economy in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. The scheme aims to offer support and benefit about 20 thousand companies.

“We believe that the EU needs an ambitious approach to its 2021-2027 budget to make sure it is able to provide adequate support for member states affected by the pandemic’s economic fallout,” Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said at the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council video conference held on 3 April.

As Europe braces for the COVID19 impact climax all national efforts are focusing on ensuring safety of citizens and mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic on the economy. In these challenging times Polish government was prompt to introduce preventive measures and take adequate actions allowing Poland to contain the virus relatively well. At the same time solidarity is being demonstrated every step of the way.

The EU leaders' discussion focused on ways to fight the coronavirus and its socio-economic consequences for the European Union.

The main topic of discussion during the video conference was a political support for the draft Council conclusions on the opening of accession negotiations with Northern Macedonia and Albania. Poland was represented by the Minister for European Union Konrad Szymański.

Ambassador Andrzej Sadoś participated in the meeting of permanent representatives of EU member states with the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

EU actions to address the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib and the related migrant crisis, and EU response to the COVID-19 pandemic were at the centre of the EU foreign ministers video conference which took place on 23 March 2020.

During the discussion, EU leaders focused on issues related to limiting the spread of coronavirus and the provision of medical equipment, with particular emphasis on masks and respirators. In addition, the topic of counteracting the socio-economic dimensions and consequences of the COVID19 pandemic was raised.