In the interests of the European Union and Poland, it is important to help countries like Ukraine and Moldova prepare for EU membership; we are competent and have experience in this area, stated Polish Minister of Agriculture Czesław Siekierski at the opening of the project "Summer School for Representatives of Moldova and Ukraine's Administration" in Kraków on Thursday.
He recalled that Polish representatives, seeking membership in European structures, participated in such training courses and can now share their experience.
"We have this period of our presence in the EU—20 years, observations, experience, and analysis of what is happening in the EU. Therefore, we believe that (...) it is in our interests; in the interests of the European Union, Poland, it is very correct and competent to prepare new countries for accession. We have the prerequisites, we are competent, and we have experience in this field," said Siekierski.
He emphasized that transferring experience is a "duty to our immediate neighbor, Ukraine, and further—to Moldova."
Siekierski highlighted that joining the EU, besides its advantages, also brings significant problems and challenges, and noted the need to implement EU legal and institutional standards.
"We know that Ukraine is at war, but at the same time, it is implementing a series of economic and legal reforms, particularly in food security, production, trade, and exchange. The most important thing is to know how to do it," summarized the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The project "Summer School for Representatives of Moldova and Ukraine's Administration" is being implemented in Małopolska in cooperation with the Kraków branch of the Agricultural Advisory Center in Brwinów, the National Center for Support of Agriculture, the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture, and the Małopolska Agricultural Advisory Center.
The project's goal is to exchange experiences from the accession preparation period and to present the results of the transformation of Polish agriculture over 20 years of Poland's EU membership.
During the summer school, representatives from various sectors of agricultural management from Ukraine and Moldova will meet with Polish experts and industry representatives. Discussions will cover functioning in the common European market and the use of EU funds.
