POLAND: MOVING FORWARD ON EASTERN PARTNERSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 000597

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/CE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2019
TAGS: PREL BO GC UP AJ AM MD PL
SUBJECT: POLAND: MOVING FORWARD ON EASTERN PARTNERSHIP

Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR DAN SAINZ FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D
)


1. (C) SUMMARY. A month after the formal launching of the
EU's Eastern Partnership (EaP),Polish officials are
determined to maintain the initiative's momentum in the face
of upcoming Union leadership changes, a lukewarm reception by
beneficiary countries, and possible Russian hostility. The
MFA expanded its staff dedicated to the initiative and is
trying to keep both the EU and beneficiaries focused on
implementation. They have so far failed, however, to
articulate a possible U.S. role to support the initiative.
END SUMMARY.

BOLSTERING STAFF AT THE MFA
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2. (C) FM Radoslaw Sikorski and Swedish counterpart Carl
Bildt successfully pushed their Eastern Partnership
initiative through the European Union's bureaucracy, but the
hard part, implementation, is just beginning, according to
Marcin Zochowski, an MFA expert on the EaP. "We have the
money allocated (Euro 600 million),now we have to put it to
effective use," he added. Despite a tight ministry budget,
Sikorski--staking his credibility on the program's
success--established a team of ten full-time staff under
Andrzej Cieszkowski, the MFA's Plenipotentiary for the EaP,
to ensure that the initiative will not fizzle. The team will
focus on engaging beneficiary countries, coordinating the
initiative with the EU bureaucracy, and determining how third
countries might be able to support it.

WARMING RESPONSE FROM EAST, BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Zochowski said the greatest challenge has been selling
the EaP to beneficiary countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) concerned that it may
be merely a substitute for EU accession. In addition, most
are distracted by their own political and economic
challenges. Nevertheless, Polish officials say they are
making headway. Belarus is stepping forward with the most
concrete project proposals, and Ukraine--despite initial
resistance--appears willing to take on a leadership role for
regional projects, said Maria Slebioda, MFA Section Head for
Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova. She noted, however, that
Belarus had adopted an "a la carte" approach to the EaP,
steering clear of any initiatives with even a hint of civil
society development. Polish MFA and Presidential Chancellery
officials also expressed frustration with Georgia, which they
said failed to propose constructive projects and had
frequently complained that the EaP lacked a security
component. In early May, Witold Waszczykowski, Deputy
Director of the President's National Security Bureau, bluntly
advised a Georgian delegation to "be smart, don,t whine, use
the EU assistance wisely, do your homework, and move closer
to the EU."

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM IN THE EU
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4. (C) Polish MFA officials and think tank representatives
are concerned that leadership changes in the European
Commission could at least temporarily disrupt the work of the
EaP. But they point to regular past contact with the
Commission and hope to minimize the transition's impact on
the EaP. "We've worked well with the current Commission,"
said Zochowski, "and we hope we can help bring the new team
quickly up to speed."

CONCERNS ABOUT RUSSIA
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5. (C) Although Russian FM Lavrov apparently accepted
Sikorski's rationale for the EaP, Polish officials remain
wary that Russia still might react negatively once
implementation gets underway. Tomasz Orlowski, MFA Section
Head for the Caucasus and Central Asia, told us that the MFA
was open to limited Russian participation, but was exercising
a "healthy dose of skepticism" about Russian motives. Poland
supports Russian participation on a case-by-case basis for
programs that generate mutual benefits for the EU and Russia.
Orlowski cited Kaliningrad region development as a possible
area for cooperation under the EaP that might attract
Moscow's interest.


FIGURING OUT A ROLE FOR THE U.S.
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6. (C) MFA officials say they would welcome U.S.
participation, but they continue to tell us it is too early
to determine what role the U.S. would play, because the
European Commission is still working on formulating specific
projects. Nevertheless, Polish officials support closer
coordination of U.S/EU policies toward Eastern European
countries, including via the EaP. They are open to our idea
of hosting seminars in Warsaw that would bring together EU
and U.S. experts to discuss measures to maximize the EaP's
effectiveness. They have also expressed concern about the
beneficiary countries' ability to manage EaP projects and
administrative capacity to absorb EU funds; they would
welcome U.S. support to improve the recipients' capacity.
QUANRUD