School for scandal

Poland can count 2003 as a historic year in terms of reintegrating with the West, with an overwhelming majority of Poles voting to join the EU in a June referendum. But that was the year’s only good news for the extremely unpopular ex-communist minority government. Racked by corruption scandals, the government failed to capitalize on the economic recovery and ended the year with the worst approval ratings of any post-1989 Polish administration. While it remains relatively secure in office and able to win key parliamentary votes, the government is poorly placed to push through the tough decisions that are required to stabilize public finances and prepare Poland for EU accession. On the international scene, Poland began to emerge as a significant player in 2003--but at the cost of alienating France and Germany.