After Kaczynski

Published on 16 April 2010 at 12:56

The collective mourning in Europe this week was both unexpected and paradoxical. It was unexpected in as much as it was instigated by an unexpected event — the Smolensk plane crash — and paradoxical in as much as the scope of public grief was not confined by the borders that often defined the politics of the accident's highest profile victim: eurosceptic Polish President Lech Kaczynski. Media across the continent covered the tragedy in a way that inspired a hitherto unprecedented sense of fellow feeling between the people of Poland and European citizens in other member states. Days of mourning were announced not only in Brussels, but in several countries of the Eastern EU, in Russia where the accident took place, and also in Ukraine and Turkey. And let's not forget the most widely publicized minute of silence, which took place in Spain, before the league match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. In short, there were many gestures of emotional solidarity.

The unanimous expressions of sympathy focusing on Lech Kaczyński also took account of the wider context of Katyń, and the fact that the accident involving the loss of many key figures in the Polish leadership was to some extent a repeat of an event that is now perceived as a European tragedy. This awareness led EU leaders to welcome the possibility of an enduring reconciliation between Russia and Poland, highlighted by Vladimir Putin's and Dimitri Medvedev's gestures of condolence. At the same time, the extent of mourning, which transcended political barriers and borders, has left no doubt that six years after enlargement, events that profoundly effect one European nation inevitably have a major impact its neighbours. So the circumstances of the death of a nationalist leader, Kaczynski, have effectively contributed to the construction of a shared European identity.

In his home country, people have mixed views about Lech Kaczynski's political legacy. A decision to entomb him next to the kings of Poland in Cracow's Wawel Cathedral has led some of his political opponents to remark that he now benefits from a greater consensus than he did during his lifetime. Regardless of the identity of his successor, European leaders should not forget that the former president defended what he perceived to be the interests of his country, but did not always represent the views of the majority of his people who are significantly more Europhile in their attitude. Under Kaczynski, Poland was often considered to be an unreliable partner. The current wave of emotion should provide an opportunity for a readjustment of relations between Warsaw and other European capitals. Europeans should also encourage the rapprochement between Poland and Russia, which represents a historical advance that is in everyone's interest. More often than not expressions of popular emotion are by nature short lived. Let's hope that the positive consequences of Poland's mourning will prove to have a truly lasting impact. Eric Maurice

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