Poland's inclusion in the enlarged European Union in 2004 had proved successful, and some initial concerns about possible adverse effects on New Zealand's agricultural interests had since receded, Dr James Headley said yesterday.
Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 had sparked the beginning of World War 2, and Poland's inclusion, with nine other nations, in the EU in 2004 had reflected a more collaborative, harmonious post-war era, Dr Headley, a University of Otago senior lecturer in politics, said in an interview yesterday.
Dr Headley was one of several speakers in an open lecture at the university yesterday, to mark the 10th anniversary of Poland's accession to the EU in 2004.
The Polish Heritage Trust of Otago and Southland, which initiated the anniversary event, was one of the Polish cultural groups playing a lively role in New Zealand society, he said.
