European Common Foreign and Security Policy – The Polish Point of View

In 2007 the EU Regional Office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation continues its “Böll Lunch Lectures” with a series on “European Common Foreign and Security as seen from various European Capitals”. Since the negative referendums in France and the Netherlands on the European Constitution, the future of CFSP is vague. Will the European Union revive the concepts of an EU Foreign minister and a European External Action Service (EEAS) as foreseen in the Constitution and, if not, what chances are there for a serious CFSP as long as decisions can be vetoed by any of the now 27 Member States?

After events dealing with the German and the UK point of view, this third debate will focus on the backgrounds of Polish foreign and security policy and how it differs from the policy of other (Westeuropean) EU Member States, but also what values and aims are shared by other Member Mtates and what a CFSP with an active Polish involvement could look like. Other questions under discussion will be:

· What are the central issues in Polish forein and security policy and how should they be embedded in a European context?
· Does Poland want an EU Foreign Minister and an EU External Diplomatic Service as foreseen in the EU Constitution?
· How does Poland see the relationship CFSP-NATO in the context of transatlantic relations?

Speakers:
- Professor Roman Kuzniar, University of Warsaw, former director of the Polish Institute for International
Affairs
- Stefan Meller, former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Pawel Zalewski, Chairman Committee of Foreign Affairs, Sejm

Chair: Claude Weinber, Director EU Regional Office Heinrich Böll Foundation