POLAND’S FIVE YEARS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION IN PUBLIC DEBATE

The paper focuses on the main threads of the public debate on Poland’s place in the European Union that have been argued since 1 May 2004, the date of Poland’s EU accession. It presents different interests (i.e. goals considered beneficial) and values (i.e. goals considered just and fair) that are being pointed out by different social groups. The ongoing dispute may be viewed as a classical opposition that exists between the modernisation theory and the dependence theory, where the main focus, or object, is to find the “golden means” or “happy medium” between the wide opening and full participation in the global system, or closing up in an attempt to preserve economic independence and protect national values and traditions. Those issues have become fundamental political and ideological arguments dividing Poland internally. The are voiced by EU-enthusiasts, EU-realists,EU-sceptics, and (in the smallest number) EU-opponents. Each group claims to act in Poland’s national interest (albeit understood differently by different groups) but whatever the reason, this debate is taking place in a country whose citizens, Poles, are the greatest EU-enthusiasts on the continent, experiencing the concrete material economic benefits and civilisation progress flowing from it, and seeing the Community regulations as a guarantor of a “return to normality”. The debate on the European Union and Poland as its member is gradually becoming more specific. What is more, it begins to demonstrate certain elements of irony, auto-irony and humour, being the best proof that Poles are becoming more conscious and self-assured members of the EU community