BRUSSELS: Jolted by French plans for new European Union ties with countries to the Continent's south, Poland and Sweden have put forward rival proposals to focus more political effort on eastern neighbors, including Ukraine.
The initiative, which will be discussed by EU foreign ministers Monday, highlights divisions within the 27-nation bloc over where to concentrate foreign policy efforts. It also reflects fears that pro-EU groups in Kiev need more encouragement from Brussels if Ukraine is to be drawn toward the EU, rather than Moscow.
Sweden and Poland share similar views on the importance of engaging with Eastern Europe, and the Polish foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, worked once before with his Swedish counterpart, Carl Bildt, on EU-Ukraine issues. The ministers plan to present a joint paper to the EU's foreign ministers at a meeting Monday in Brussels.
Russia would not be a member but might be invited to cooperate on initiatives involving Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave within the EU.
iht.com/articles/2008/05/22/europe/union.php