Ministerstwo Gospodarki > English > Departments > European Affairs

1. The Department for European Affairs is responsible for the matters/issues related to the Polish membership in the EU. The Department coordinates elaboration of the Polish position within the competences of the Ministry of Economy for the meetings of the EU Council and the Committee of the Permanent Representatives COREPER.

The Department works towards assuring the free movement of goods and services by the internal market systems of the EU.

The Department for European Affairs is responsible for the organization and coordination of bilateral economic cooperation with the following countries:

- members of the European Economic Area (EEA - EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland),

- candidate countries: Croatia, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,

- potential candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia including Kosovo.


2. The detailed competences of the department are as follows:

- management of the works related to the elaboration of the Polish position for the meetings of the EU Council and the Committee of the Permanent Representatives - COREPER,

- management of the preparations related to the participation of the Minister in the meetings of the EU Council,

- coordination of the preparations of the Ministry to the Polish EU Presidency (July-December 2011), including management of the Secretariat of the EU Presidency Programming Team,

- coordination of the Polish representatives participation in the Council and European Commission preparatory bodies; in particular participation in the European legislative process,

- coordination of the preparations of the Polish positions on the EU legislative proposals; supervision of the punctual delivery of -proposals for Polish positions for the assessment by the European Committee of the Council of Ministers,

- coordination and supervision of the Ministry's tasks resulting from Poland's EU membership in the field of free movement of goods and services,

- dealing with cases related to the functionality of SOLVIT system as well as with the system of the information exchange on barriers in free movement of goods,

- analysis of conditions, tendencies and perspectives of economy and economic policy of countries within the department’s competencies with regard to their influence on economic relations with Poland,

- preparation of assumptions and policies for the development of economic relations with countries within the department’s competencies , as well as current management of economic relations with these countries,

- preparation of intergovernmental commissions sessions, committees and working groups, as well as consultation discussions related to economic issues within the department’s competencies,

- coordination of issues concerning cross-border cooperation with Federal Republic of Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania, management of issues relating to cross-border cooperation with Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania,

- coordination of issues in relation to economic aspects of Polish membership in the Council of the Baltic Sea States and coordination of economic cooperation realized through Polish membership in Central European Initiative and Visegrad Group,

- participation in reviews of economies of OECD Member States (with the exception of Poland and countries in competency of the Department for International Bilateral Cooperation), in particular conducting the role of examiner country,

- coordination of elaboration of the Polish position, within ministerial competency, with regard to the EU accession negotiations with new countries,

- coordination of issues, within the competency of the ministry, related to possible participation in financial programs within Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) dedicated to candidate and potential candidate countries,

- determining tasks for economic sections of Polish Embassies and General Consulates in countries in competency of the Department, as well as assessment of realization of the tasks in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

- coordination of preparations of issues planned for assessment by the European Committee of the Council of Ministers (including European Integration Committee), together with proposals introduced by other ministries,

- conduction of issues related to the management of the “European Exchange of Documents – Poland”
(EWD-P); distribution of the EU documents through the ministerial operational system “Coordination”.