Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki laid out his hopes to build a new economic community in Central and Eastern Europe with the participation of Romania and Ukraine on Tuesday in Bucharest, where he also criticised powerful Western countries for undermining the region for many years, according to Euractiv.
At the Polish-Romanian intergovernmental consultations in Bucharest, Morawiecki stressed cooperation between Poland and Romania is key to making the region’s voice better heard.
“We cannot look at the European Union as those who must be listened to and must always have the best solutions transported in a suitcase to Bucharest or Warsaw,” he said, quoted by TVP public broadcaster.
In his speech, Morawiecki also praised his Romanian counterpart and the country’s president for pursuing a policy that aims for cohesion, synergy and efficiency between both countries.
According to Poland’s prime minister, countries in the region were used by stronger countries in the West and the East, noting that when the area first transitioned towards capitalism after the fall of Communism, “the West was making use of us for its own goals.”
Last week Morawiecki also laid out his vision for the future of Europe in a speech at Heidelberg University, Germany, highlighting the role of sovereign nation-states against a European federation.
“Nothing will safeguard the freedom of nations, their culture, their social, economic, political and military security better than nation states,” Morawiecki said, adding that “other systems are illusory or utopia,” warning of a further federalisation of the EU.
Morawiecki also suggested Poland and Romania should develop cooperation in a triangle with Ukraine, which would help to enhance investments and military strategic plans for the future and allow the creation of a “new economic community in the region of Central and Eastern Europe.”
For Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, 2022 was “fruitful for the Polish-Romanian business community” as trade between the countries amounted to €11 billion – which represents an increase of 20% compared to 2021.