With the participation of the Ambassadors of Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and Latvia, representatives of regional authorities and the Director of the European Commission Representation in Poland, took place on October 25 this year at the Faculty of Law of the University of Białystok, a conference on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the accession of Central and Eastern European countries to the European Union. Its participants talked, among others: about the effects of our presence in the Community as well as about the future of this part of Europe.
The conference organized by the Faculty of Law of the University of Białystok, the Baltic States Research Center of the University of Białystok and Europe Direct Podlaskie, gathered many distinguished guests. The following speakers spoke during the meeting: Miko Haljas - Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia, Päivi Laine - Ambassador of the Republic of Finland, Juris Poikāns - Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia and Valdemaras Sarapinas - Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania and Katarzyna Smyk - Director of the Representation of the European Commission in Poland.
Representatives of regional authorities and the University of Białystok also spoke, including: the university's Vice-Rector for Education – prof. Krzysztof Korotkich, Dean of the Faculty of Law – prof. Artur Olechno, Head of Europe Direct Podlaskie – prof. Maciej Perkowski, Deputy Voivodes: Ewa Kulikowska and Paweł Krutul, Rafał Rudnicki - Deputy Mayor of Białystok and prof. Iwona Wrońska - Director of the Center for Research on the Baltic States of the University of Białystok and Andrzej Parafiniuk - Honorary Consul of the Republic of Finland in Białystok - who hosted the conference.
Additionally, the meeting was attended by: Marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship Łukasz Prokorym, prof. Katarzyna Socha – Vice-Rector of the Medical University of Białystok, honorary consuls, entrepreneurs, representatives of uniformed services and public institutions, as well as students and high school students from schools in Białystok.
It is hard to imagine a better place than Białystok for a meeting of ambassadors of these countries. It seems that the University of Białystok is also an argument for choosing this place. The Center for Research on the Baltic States, already mentioned today at the Faculty of Law, is the center of prof. Maciej Perkowski, who is the co-organizer of our event also includes fields of study that have been launched at other faculties of the University of Bialystok: I will mention Eastern studies, international relations and public diplomacy - said Prof. Uwb Artur Olechno who appeared at the conference in a double role: Dean of the Faculty of Law and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia.
Poland's 20th Anniversary in the European Union is a significant jubilee. This allows us to think about it in terms of not only summaries and calculations but also some reflection and perhaps even nostalgia. Well, over 20 years ago, I set out into the field with my students to provide reliable information - away from political arguments or any understatements - about what Poland's accession to the EU means. Sometimes we had to clash, sometimes we had to agree, but it was inspiring. Such groundwork. These people are doing important things today, they are responsible officials and entrepreneurs. Today the EU is different, the youth is different, the challenges are different. Different doesn't mean worse. It only means that we should look at it, try to understand what it requires from us and what we want to achieve. I am very glad that you are here, young people. Everything depends on you, without you nothing will happen. Whether you will be wise, strong and brave will determine whether all our achievements that we have managed to build will survive or even develop - said manager of Europe Direct Podlaskie - prof. Maciej Perkowski - during the conference.
The guests' speeches and the subsequent discussion with young people focused on the effects of joining the European Community of the Baltic States and on the future of this part of Europe, primarily in the context of security and geopolitics.
The ambassadors said among others: about how European Union membership is perceived in their countries, about the freedom to cross borders and the Erasmus program, about the common European market and economy, about the EU's activities in the field of security and cooperation.
– Thank you very much, Ambassadors from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland - I think your presence symbolizes the sense of community. Today we are in very difficult times. Being in the Union means not being alone. Being together gives a sense of strength, and Ukraine is fighting for this right today against Russian aggression, precisely in the name of freedom and European values - said Katarzyna Smyk, Director of the European Commission Representation in Poland, during the meeting.
– We are responsible for changing Europe and maybe even the world, by setting an example. And there can be only one example of this at our university: well-implemented science and research - and only in cooperation because it is impossible to conduct research in isolation, to be a lonely island - reminded the Vice-Rector of the University of Białystok prof. Krzysztof Korotkich.
Conference participants emphasized that it is always worth cooperating and organizing such events - like the one in Białystok. There are to be similar meetings.
