BIO OF CANDIDATE FOR MINISTER IN POLISH MFA

UNCLAS KRAKOW 000266 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS EUR/NCE FOR PUTNEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PL SUBJECT: BIO OF CANDIDATE FOR MINISTER IN POLISH MFA ¶1. (SBU) Summary: CG met with Krzysztof Szczerski, Vice Director of the Institute for Political Sciences and International Relations at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Szczerski confirmed what we had heard--that he is being considered for a high position in the Polish MFA and that he will know definitively soon after Christmas. Szczerski's academic specialty is the EU. He worked for three years in the government of Jerzy Buzek and then one year in Brussels with the EU Commission. Szczerski described his own views as critical of but in favor of the EU, and he thought that his "balanced" position explained why he was being considered by PiS for the MFA. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Krzysztof Szczerski is 32 years old, married, with children. He was born and raised in Krakow and attended Jagiellonian University as a student. Szczerski has a PhD in political science and is Vice Director of the Institute for Political Sciences and International Relations at Jagiellonian, but he is not yet a tenured professor. He speaks very good English, but he has never traveled to the United States. Because he is untenured, Szczerski is negotiating with his university to be able to return to his teaching position after he finishes with the MFA. From his point of view, this negotiation is the main stumbling block to taking the MFA job. He thinks that from the point of view of the government, his young age is the primary obstacle. (Note: It may not be much of an impediment. The current Deputy Minister is 31. End Note) ¶3. (SBU) According to Szczerski, he is being considered for an unspecified "high" position in the MFA (possibly minister) largely because of his views of the EU. He is neither Euro-phobic nor an unalloyed apologist. In his consideration, the EU is a vital club, and it is important for Poland to be a part of it because it was cut off from Europe when it was behind the iron curtain. But in his words, "the club has different colors inside." Szczerski described the EU as a tool "like a knife. (It) can cut (one's) finger, or (it) can be used for good reasons." Szczerski said there were very few people working on EU issues who held a "balanced" view, and accordingly he had come to the attention of the GOP, which he described as "open to this idea." ¶4. (SBU) Szczerski said he thought Poland's most important issue with respect to the EU was preparing for the EU presidency in 2011. He attributed much of Poland's current difficulty in Brussels to "poor PR," and this, he thought, was often a result of poor wording. For example, in a meeting in France the GOP had said that to achieve energy security, what was needed was, "a NATO" of energy - not the best way to put things to a French audience in Szczerski's opinion. Szczerski thought that in reality Poland was quite pro-integration, and he cited initiatives to open the services market and work on energy security as evidence. ¶5. (SBU) Szczerski said that the biggest challenge facing the EU was to "absorb" more fully the last round of enlargement. He felt that the EU needed to "consume the enthusiasm of its new members," and take from them their energy. He described a "malaise of enlargement," and thought instead that Europe should see the issue as an opportunity rather than a problem. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: One Embassy contact said that Szczerski was under consideration as a possible new Minister of Foreign Affairs. The current Minister is widely described in the press as ineffective, but the President values her loyalty. Szczerski did not say which position he was being considered for. If he is viewed as loyal, his youth and lack of experience may not be an impediment to a high ranking position. End Comment. HALL