Public Conference: The activity and effectiveness of Polish MEPs. A 5-year perspective on Polish membership in the EU

• Date: 20.04.2009
• Venue: Cracow, Auditorium Maximum, Jagiellonian University
• Research area: EU and Polish Institutions and Law
• Projects: A Ranking of the Polish Members of the European Parliament || A More Effective Polish European Policy
• Experts: Szczerski Krzysztof || Tkaczyński Jan Wiktor || Albrycht Izabela || Albrycht Izabela || Kosowska-Gąstoł Beata || Kosowska-Gąstoł Beata || Surdej Aleksander || Węc Janusz J. || Sokołowski Andrzej
• Participants: Sonik Bogusław – MEP of VI and VII term (EPP-ED); Szymański Konrad - MEP of VI and VII (UEN); Musioł Karol - prof., Rector of the Jagiellonian University; Niestrój Roman - prof., Rector of the University of Economics in Cracow
• Partners: Cracow University of Economics || Rzeczpospolita || EurActiv.pl || Jagiellonian University

The conference was organized in order to introduce the conclusions from the Ranking of Polish Members of the European Parliament 2009. The participants of the debate were Polish MEPs and academics dealing with European issues. The conference was accompanied by the 10^th Schuman Parade.

The conference was opened solemnly by Professor Karol Musioł, the Rector of the Jagiellonian University. He pointed out that the European Parliament elections were given little interest both on the part of society and the media. This he called a “quasi-catastrophe” for Poland because of the fact that without proper representation in Europe, the rest of the continent will develop without us. He also said that our representatives should have been present in more commissions and other bodies where European issues are discussed. What’s more, he appealed to the young to take part in European level projects. “I wish you courage because everything depends on young people. We should fight for our rights in Europe. To do that, it is necessary to acquire knowledge about how Europe behaves and about what rightfully belongs to us. We have high ambitions and great opportunities. I hope that this conference will help us to find out how to achieve them in reality”.

The next speaker was Professor Roman Niestrój, the Rector of the University of Economics in Cracow. He remarked that we were living in times when the basis of all regulations is the market. Wherever an exchange is made we are also dealing with a market, especially in the case of voters. “What is the money in this situation? The electoral card. What do we buy on the political market? It may be said simply that voters buy hope.” The rector emphasized that the market had to be transparent to work properly. To do that, information is needed. “Information is a factor that also limits the risk of mistake in political decisions. Ventures like today’s conference provide such information,” he stressed.

Izabela Albrycht, Vice President of the Kosciuszko Institute, presented the assumptions, goals and methodology of the Ranking. “By preparing the Ranking just before the second general elections to the EP we were attempting to sum up the activity and efficiency of the Polish MEPs and the real achievements of the entire Polish delegation in the EP between the years 2004-2009. We hope that the Ranking’s results will help opinion makers and the media to draw practical conclusions, introduce some useful recommendations to voters and, most importantly, indicate the categories according to which the candidates must be evaluated.”

Files

• Download-harmonogram_konferencji_20.04.2009
• Watch Konferencja naukowa: Aktywność i skuteczność polskich eurodeputowanych w Parlamencie Europejskim. Perspektywa 5 lat członkostwa Polski w Unii Europejskiej

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