Małgorzata Bonikowska, a Polish expert on European affairs and a longtime consultant with the European Commission, talks to Beata Kubiszyn-Puka.

What have Poland and Warsaw gained from joining the European Union in 2004?

We have gained an awful lot. Local government has been the main beneficiary of the EU's structural funds, both those allocated for the years 2004-2006 and the next tranche set aside for 2007-2013. Cities including Warsaw, Poland's largest city, are gaining substantial injections of money that could hardly be imagined just a couple of years ago. In the first two years of EU membership alone, Poland was allocated 11.5 billion euros for various projects. These funds must be spent by 2008. There are already agreements to use up nearly 100 percent of the money.

Warsaw has submitted dozens of projects, both commercial and socially-oriented. Most of them are being carried out. As many as 36 "soft" projects dealing with the labor market and aimed at counteracting social exclusion are under way with the support of the European Social Fund. Among other projects, EU money has been used to co-finance the modernization of Warsaw's Jerozolimskie Avenue, Rondo Starzyńskiego traffic circle and the Bemowo-Młociny tram line. Other projects have included the redevelopment of the eastern Praga district, the conservation of the historic Ghetto Walls, and the establishment of an Integrated Traffic Management System.

In the next few years even more funds will be made available to Poland. Will it be able to put them all to good use?
I certainly hope so. Local government authorities as the main beneficiaries of EU funds have learned a new approach to fund management. Many local government officials advocate planning and future-oriented thinking about a city's needs in the context of managing EU funds. This approach is reflected, for example, by Warsaw's transportation development strategy. In a nutshell, this strategy not only provides for upgrading roads but also for the proper functioning of the city's transportation system as a whole: from access roads and parking lots to major thoroughfares. This shows that the potential availability of big sources of funds encourages thinking in terms of urban planning, building strategies and drafting long-term development plans.

A total of zl.309.6 million in EU co-financing is available to Warsaw for commercial projects and a further zl.40.97 million for socially-oriented projects. Plans and strategies are being drafted, and there's a new way of thinking about the capital's future development. In what other way can Warsaw benefit from Poland's EU membership?

As all local governments, the capital is witnessing a qualitative change in client service standards. The city administration's approach is becoming increasingly partner-like, meaning that the taxpayer stops being treated like a nuisance at an office and becomes a business partner for the big company that the city is.

The local government is busy fostering promotional campaigns aimed at attracting investors, improving e-communication with city residents, developing e-government, and undertaking various other innovative activities. In this way, a new quality is being created in both Warsaw and other Polish cities, with new prospects for development opening up before the Warsaw metropolitan area.

The city's infrastructure keeps changing, and there will be even more striking changes in the future. These will include improving the quality of roads, building new overpasses, a beltway and new metro lines, and developing e-government. All this will be followed by wide-ranging efforts to deal with some of the acute problems that affect the urban area, including waste treatment and environmental protection. New public spaces will be created to promote culture and recreation, including the development of the Vistula riverside, renovation of the Wilanów palace complex, and many other projects.

I am convinced that Warsaw and other Polish cities and municipalities will look better as a result, and that the quality of life for their residents will improve.