EVOLUTION OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION BETWEEN POLAND AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY'S COUNTRIES IN THE BEGIN POLITICAL SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION IN POLAND (1989-1994)

The beginning of closer co-operation between Poland and the European Community's member countries occurred in the second half of the 1980s. The improvement of relations with western countries became possible due to the changes which took place in the leadership of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. They were possible as a result of Mikhail Gorbachev's team coming to power in the Soviet Union, which started the reconstruction of the Soviet system and state, which is now known in the world as pierestrojka. Due to the normalisation of relations between the East and the West The Polish People's Republic could sign the first wide ranging economic and trade agreement with the European Economic Community in 1989. This article pertains to the history and political conditions of co-operation between Poland and the European Economic Community in the years 1989-1994. The author concentrates on the political and economic co-operation. The article describes in detail The Agreement between The Polish People's Republic and The European Economic Community on the Trade and Economic Co-operation from 19 September 1989 and The Europe Agreement on Association between the Republic of Poland and the European Community and its Member states on 16 December 1991.