PERSPECTIVE: No Longer Poles Apart from a United Europe; of the New EU Countries, Poland Is Considered the Leader and Most Significant. Doug Roper Reports on Why, for Poles, National Freedom and EU Membership Are Inextricably Linked

Byline: Doug Roper

I f you've ever struggled to find a dentist in the West Midlands, then this time next year it may be easier to find one. This is the considered view, not of the dental profession, but of Councillor Mike Oborski, of Wyre Forest District Council, reflecting on the implications of Polish membership of the EU this week.

Coun Oborski, aged 57, is the son of Polish immigrants who escaped from the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Poland in 1939, and is now one of the leaders of the Polish community in Kidderminster.

He rubbishes what he sees as tabloid scaremongering that the UK faces an immigration crisis, but does envisage some of the gaps in the UK labour market being filled by welleducated, professional East Europeans, such as Polish dentists who can earn far more filling gaps in British teeth than they ever could in Poland.

Last weekend's European Union enlargement saw ten new states sign up to the European project. Poland, the largest of the newcomers with a population of 38 million, was joined by Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia -all former communist states.

In addition, the two islands of Malta and Southern Cyprus completed the largest …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: PERSPECTIVE: No Longer Poles Apart from a United Europe; of the New EU Countries, Poland Is Considered the Leader and Most Significant. Doug Roper Reports on Why, for Poles, National Freedom and EU Membership Are Inextricably Linked. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Birmingham Post (England). Publication date: May 8, 2004. Page number: 8. © 2009 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.