October 31, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Poland think their country’s leaders made the right decision in joining the European Union (EU), according to a poll by TNS OBOP. 72 per cent of respondents support being a member of the EU, and 68 per cent think the continental body has had a positive influence in Poland.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Poland think their country’s leaders made the right decision in joining the European Union (EU), according to a poll by TNS OBOP. 72 per cent of respondents support being a member of the EU, and 68 per cent think the continental body has had a positive influence in Poland.

In June 2003, Polish adults voted in favour of accession to the EU. Poland officially joined the continental body in May 2004.

Last month, Poland was the only one of the 27 current EU member nations to reject a proposal which sought to declare Oct. 10 as the annual "European day against the death penalty". Polish deputy justice minister Andrzej Duda said the continental group "should approach the subject in a broader way and debate the protection of life," adding, "The death penalty is only one element of the debate; there are more—for example, abortion and euthanasia."

On Oct. 21, voters in Poland renewed their legislative branch in a snap ballot called after a coalition government led by the Law and Justice Party (PiS) collapsed. Final results gave the opposition Civic Platform (PO)—led by Donald Tusk—209 seats in the 460-seat lower house, followed by the conservative PiS led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski with 166 mandates, the Left and Democracy (LiD) coalition with 53 seats, and the Peasant’s Party (PSL) with 31 mandates. The PO fell short of the 231 seats required to govern on its own, but is expected to form a coalition with the PSL.

On Oct. 25, Tusk nominated PO secretary-general Grzegorz Schetyna to run the Interior Ministry. In a telegram sent to Tusk, former Czech president Vaclav Havel wrote that the victory of the PO "is a promise of the formation of a stable pro-European government."

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose Poland’s membership in the European Union (EU)?

Support	72%
Oppose	6%
Not sure	22%

Do you think joining the EU has had a positive or negative influence in Poland?

Positive influence	68%
Negative influence	7%
No influence	23%
Not sure	9%

Source: TNS OBOP
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,005 Polish adults, conducted from Oct. 4 to Oct. 8, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.