“The unity of Europe was the dream of a few. It became the hope of many. Today it is a necessity for us all” – these are the words of Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. “The value of Europe is a Europe of values,” announced Robert Schuman, the Foreign Minister of France from 1948 to 1953.

Konrad Adenauer, Robert Schuman, as well as Jean Monnet – a French politician and economist – advocated the rapprochement between France and Germany, and the Schuman Plan proposed in May 1950 later became the basis for establishing the European Union as we know it today.

Poland joined the European Union (EU) on 1 May 2004. The Treaty of Accession was signed in Athens on 16 April 2003 (Polish Journal of Laws [Dz.U.] 2004, no. 90, item 864; OJ L 236, 23 September 2003).

Pursuant to the Act of 27 August 2009 on the Committee for European Affairs (Journal of Laws 2009, no. 161, item 1277), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for coordinating matters related to Poland’s membership of the EU.

To learn more, visit PolandEU.gov.pl, an MFA website dedicate to EU affairs, featuring information on Poland’s presence and position in the EU, as well as on the history of Poland’s membership of the European Community.