The borders of the new Europe: a trilateral conference on Germany, Poland and Ukraine

by Iwanna I. Rebet

MUNICH - In collaboration with the Polish and Ukrainian consulates in Munich and the Academy for Political Education in Tutzing, Bavaria, the Ukrainian Free University organized a two-day conference dedicated to the question of the future of Polish-Ukrainian relations once Poland becomes a full-fledged member of the European Union.

The conference began on November 22. Opening remarks setting a framework for the proceedings were delivered by: Jolanta Kozlowska, consul general of Poland in Munich; Heorhij Kosykh, consul general of Ukraine; Dr. Leonid Rudnytzky, rector of the Ukrainian Free University (UFU); and Prof. Heinrich Oberreuter, director of the Tutzing Academy.

Following these, Miroslaw Czech, former member of the Polish Parliament, (Sejm) and Arnold Vaatz, member of the German Parliament (Bundestag), offered extensive introductory comments on the subject matter.

The day's program concluded with a concert by young Polish and Ukrainian musicians who are currently studying in Germany. The host for the opening day of the conference was the Munich Academy of Music and Theater.

The second day of the conference, held in the Bavarian State Archives building, featured a keynote address delivered by Bohdan Osadczuk, a renowned political scientist, journalist and former vice-rector of the UFU, and three separate sessions on selected topics.

The first session, devoted to politics and society in Poland and Ukraine, was chaired by Dr. Hermann Clement, associate director of the East European Institute in Munich; the panelists were: Marek Ziolkowski, ambassador of Poland to Ukraine; Dmytro Pavlychko, Ukraine's ambassador in Warsaw, and Dr. Eberhard Heyken, the recently retired German ambassador to Ukraine.

Members of the panel agreed that Poland and Ukraine currently enjoy an unprecedented friendly relationship marked by mutual respect and cooperation that contributes to the political stability of Central and Eastern Europe. "Governments of Poland change," remarked Ambassador Pavlychko, "but the Polish policy vis-à-vis Ukraine remains the same." Ukraine has made its choice to go with Europe, and Poland's upcoming Polish membership in the European Union, despite the introduction of visa requirements between the countries, will not weaken Polish-Ukrainian relations, he stated.

The second panel analyzed the current state of the economies of Ukraine and Poland, and the relations between these two countries within the European framework. The panel comprised Polish Senator Mieczyslaw Janowski; Andrej Perlix, an advisor to the Polish minister of foreign economic affairs; Prof. Peter Hampe of the Tutzing Academy and Dr. Karin Rau, the official representative of German business in Kyiv. During the discussion, presided over by Dr. Wolfgang Quaisser from the Munich-based Institute of Eastern Europe, the panelists discussed the current state of Ukraine's economy and the country's chances of eventually joining the European Union. Especially well received were Dr. Rau's comments about Ukraine's recent economic growth.

The final session of the conference, dedicated to culture, science and religion, was chaired by Leonid Rudnytzky. It featured Msgr. Dr. Ivan Dacko, who is responsible for the external relations of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church; Dr. Mykola Zhulynsky, former vice prime minister for cultural affairs of Ukraine; Prof. Stefan Kozak, chairman of the department of Ukrainian studies at Warsaw University; and Peter Hilkes of the Institute of Eastern Europe. The main topic of this session was the positive impact of the recent papal visit on Ukraine's self-identity, and the ongoing rebirth and growth of Ukrainian culture.

The final summation of the conference was offered by Prof. Ulrich Schweier of the University of Munich, who in evaluating the various presentations stressed the apparent need to hold such a conference on a yearly basis and to publish its proceedings.

Over 100 people attended the two-day event, which was conducted in three languages - German, Polish and Ukrainian. Simultaneous translations of the papers read and commentaries made were provided by two professional translators and Oksana Hnatiuk, a fourth year law student at the UFU.

Following the official conclusion of the conference, all the participants and guests attended a gala reception in Munich City Hall hosted by the representative of the mayor, Elizabeth Schlosser.

The conference received ample coverage in the international media, including Radio Liberty and the Voice of America.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 13, 2002, No. 2, Vol. LXX

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