Guest post: why Poland wants Ukraine in the EU | beyondbrics

Guest post: why Poland wants Ukraine in the EU | beyondbrics:

"By Piotr Koscinski and Maya Rostowska of PISM

Why is Poland so keen to draw Ukraine closer to the European Union? One answer might invoke lofty ideals such as Ukrainian-Polish friendship and Slavic brotherhood. But it would be wrong.

Poland’s support for Ukraine’s European ambition is actually based on a simple conviction: that it would be good for Ukrainians, for Poles and for the EU as a whole.

Warsaw’s attempts to bring Ukraine closer into the European fold were kick-started in 2005, when Poland became actively involved in Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. Poles sympathised with the thirst for democracy, civil rights and public involvement in politics that was being expressed across their eastern border.

Moved by the protests on Maidan Square, current and former Polish presidents jetted to Kiev and hundreds of Polish students and pensioners volunteered to serve as electoral observers across the country."

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