20 years of Poland in the European Union
30.04.2024
This year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the European Union. This is certainly one of the most important events in the recent history of our country. The last two decades have brought many significant changes in the political and socio-economic landscape of Poland, offering us broad development prospects. The academic and scientific community has gained many new opportunities resulting from the enormous potential of European integration.
We asked top officials from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education about the benefits of Poland's membership in the European Union and its importance for Polish science and higher education. Here is what they said.
Greater mobility of students and researchers. Learning without borders
Minister Dariusz Wieczorek draws attention to the enormous value of the opportunity to study abroad. “It has been 20 years since Poland joined the European Union. (…) Today we all see that without the EU we would not have these wonderful roads, means of transport, schools, kindergartens. (…) For students, it is a great opportunity to study and do internships abroad, a great chance to meet new people, new technologies, new solutions which operate in other countries. This is a huge benefit. Let us do everything so that we do not lose it and so that we can remain a serious partner of the European Union for the next decades.”
Deputy Minister Maciej Gdula talked about the role and importance of the leading European student exchange programme. “I was the coordinator of the Erasmus programme at the Institute of Sociology and every year I sent dozens of people on Erasmus; they returned happy, satisfied and full of enthusiasm for the European Union. Over the years, 14 million students have benefited from the Erasmus programme in Europe. They are people who understand that Europe is an opportunity to study in different places, a chance to develop and meet other Europeans. It is a great value and something that does not exist in other regions of the world. It makes Europe a friendly and safe place.”
“For me, as a scientist, the most important aspect of the European Union is the freedom to conduct research in the EU countries and the possibility of education in various parts of Europe. For a Pole, a European and a mother, better quality of infrastructure and the fact that my children have the freedom to choose where they want to go.” These four benefits were pointed out by Deputy Minister Maria Mrówczyńska.
The head of the Minister's Political Cabinet, Zuzanna Hazubska, drew attention to a similar aspect of our membership in the EU. “The European Union is a single research area allowing unrestricted flow of scientists, knowledge and technology. It stands for billions of euros for education, research, scholarships and projects. A strong European Union means science without borders.”
Financial assistance
Among the benefits of Poland's accession to EU structures, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Andrzej Szeptycki, mentions for instance financial support for Polish research. “In the field of science and higher education, we owe to the European Union financial support and the opportunity to travel abroad. A quarter of a century ago, our students had nowhere to go and our scientists lacked funds for research. This has changed significantly thanks to programmes such as Erasmus+ for students, but also for lecturers, or Horizon Europe or ERC Grants - financial support for leading Polish research. These are fundamental instruments enabling the development of science and higher education.”