Jan Store, Finnish Ambassador to Poland, talks to Dena R. Gurgul.

¡ö Could you tell us about your professional experiences prior to coming to Poland?
I joined the foreign service in 1978 and after five years I was posted in Paris in our Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) delegation. Last I was Director General for the Department for European Affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. My appointment in Warsaw began almost three months ago. For the last 17 years, I have dealt with EU integration. From the very beginning, I was involved in the first steps towards EU accession, particularly from 1993-2000 in Brussels. I took part in negotiations concerning Finland¡¯s accession and later in our first years of membership as well as eventually during Finland¡¯s EU Presidency. In Helsinki I continued my involvement in EU integration work, especially concerning the enlargement which took effect in May this year. So, my appointment in Warsaw was a logical next step considering my experience with the EU.

¡ö What major benefits exist for both Finland and Poland as a result of Poland¡¯s EU membership?
First of all, Finland has always been a strong supporter of EU membership for Poland and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. It has clearly been in Finland¡¯s interest to welcome these countries to the EU, especially in terms of contributing to further peace, stability and security in Europe. Second, Finland was in favor of EU enlargement as a way of creating a larger economic market. Now we have a level playing field and deal with the same issues so if there are any hiccups, we have a common forum for resolving those difficulties. Third, Poland¡¯s EU membership was important in terms of person-to-person contacts.

Coming back to the issue of membership, in all these respects, we have a common agenda and the same interests to discuss. We are sitting around the same table in Brussels and dealing with the same day-to-day issues. If that doesn¡¯t bring us closer, then what would?

Moreover, both our countries have an interest in events in the Baltic Sea. Approximately 85 percent of Finland¡¯s exports and imports are transported by sea to Poland and other markets.

Both Poland and Finland are located on the EU¡¯s eastern outskirts, giving us similar vital interests in this respect¡ªfor Finland first and foremost with Russia and for Poland with Ukraine. Together, our countries have a chance to shape and influence the EU¡¯s eastern policy.

Finally, I would like to say that we are eagerly awaiting construction of the A1 highway from Gda¨½sk to southern Poland, a project which will benefit not only Poland but the EU as a whole in terms of north-south transport.

¡ö Could you provide a brief overview of bilateral relations of Finland and Poland?
For some years we have seen a broadening, expansion and deepening of Finnish-Polish relations on many levels and in both directions. We have even noticed that in Finland there is a great interest in Poland in general. The Polish government has become very interested in our experiences. To give a few examples, Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka will pay a visit to Finland Dec. 10 and last November our Prime Minister visited Poland. So these meetings are quite regular. During the last three to four years, I believe most of our ministers have visited Poland. This is important because although they meet frequently in Brussels, these meetings do not provide the opportunity for face-to-face communication and discussion.

We have also seen expansion of our economic cooperation. Last week we received confirmation of a transaction involving the order of about 700 personnel transporters from Finland by the Polish army¡ªat a total value of 1.2 billion euros. That deal will also be accompanied by an offset agreement, according to which Finnish companies will place orders with Polish companies.

In terms of personal contacts, I think there is a significant increase¡ªif not a boom¡ªin interest. Last summer regular package trips from Finland to Cracow were launched. Unfortunately, this is not a direct flight¡ªit goes via Warsaw. However, there is a growing interest among the Finnish public. In Gda¨½sk, there is a great deal of potential in terms of travel, leisure and other attractions, the infrastructure is already there to a large extent. The one element that needs to be developed is more interest in Finland in travel to Poland. As the Finnish Ambassador, I¡¯d also be happy to see more Poles willing to travel to Finland. Basically, I think it is a question of being aware of each other¡¯s tourist opportunities.

¡ö What are the most important challenges faced by the new Europe?
There are many challenges, some of which are associated with enlargement. There were a number of concerns among ¡°old¡± members in connection with EU expansion by a further 10 countries. After six months, I think we have seen that the EU can take on new members quite smoothly. This is not a sufficiently long period to make final judgments, but I think we can already call it a success. In a few weeks, the EU is set to make a decision on offering Turkey a concrete date for starting the negotiations on membership to the EU. Finland¡¯s position is clear¡ªwe hope this decision will be positive.

Other areas of expansion involve the Western Balkans. They clearly have a European perspective and they have a possibility to become EU members. Also, I should mention Bulgaria and Romania in connection with this. The former has already completed its negotiations and Romania will soon follow.

Other challenges include the immediate task of creating the EU budget for the years 2007-13. There are so many different interests¡ªsome would like to reduce costs and others would like to spend more on cohesion or structural changes. This has always been a difficult process. The new constitution and the related ratification process, which will take place over the next two years, are other key tasks. There will be many referenda, some of which may be difficult. In the end, I believe this process will be successful, giving us firm ground for cooperation as the EU-25 and later the EU-27.