The marshal of the Polish Sejm, Ewa Kopacz, about the situation of Poles in Lithuania

Yesterday, April 7^th, the marshal of the Polish Sejm, Ewa Kopacz, met with the leader of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania parliamentary fraction, the Representative Rita Tamašunienė, and the members of the fraction. The topics of the meeting were i.a. situation of Polish minority in Lithuania and political activity of Lithuanian Poles.

According to the marshal of the Sejm, the crucial issue for an effective security of Polish minority in Lithuania is the adoption of appropriate legal norms. Ewa Kopacz reassured her conversationalists about a support of the Polish leadership.

“The issues concerning Polish minority are consequently raised by the Polish side in the contacts with the Lithuanian partners on all levels”, the marshal emphasised.

What is more, Ewa Kopacz emphasised the role of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, which after ellections in 2012 has not only got to the Lithuanian parliament but also has collaborated with the ruling party. Moreover, the marshal expressed her hopes that the activity of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania will contribute to the progress of Polish-Lithuanian relations.

“We perceive Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania as an important subject, which can mobilise the leaders of the Polish minority to participate actively in a public life and intercede with transmiting good Polish experience to Polish minority, at least within a scope of using European Union funds, which can positively influence social and economic progress of the regions which were traditionally inhabited by the Polish minority”, Ewa Kopacz added.

During the meeting with the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania fraction, there was raised an issue concerning the penalties awarded to the director Bolesław Daszkiewicz for a delay in carring out a court decision concerning bilingual street names. The Marshal of the Sejm pointed out on the standards of the European Council, to whom belongs the possibility of placing bilingual local names, street names and other public topographical tags in regions traditionally inhabited by a significant number of the ethnic minority members.

Source: http://kurierwilenski.lt/2014/04/07/marszalek-sejmu-rp-ewa-kopacz-o-sytuacji-polakow-na-litwie/

Tłumaczenie by Beata Kanadys w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Beata Kanadys within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.