Those ties proved crucial after September 1 1939. Despite German pressure, Sweden recognized the Polish government in exile  and agreed to the operation of a Polish mission in Stockholm until the war ended. Swedes extended active support  to the Polish resistance movement.  Representatives of Swedish companies,  active in Poland even  before the war,  acted as couriers, carrying intelligence  materials to Stockholm. Thanks to that assistance, Poles were able to supply the Allies with information about the annihilation of the Jews by the Nazis and to convey other important reports. Persons in danger of Gestapo persecution were smuggled into Sweden. In the final phase of the war, the Swedish Red Cross and Count Folke Bernadotte conducted the White Buses operation, rescuing some 30 thousand  prisoners from German concentration camps, almost half of them Polish citizens. In 1946, after convalescence in Sweden, many of  the  rescued Poles returned home, though a large group stayed on in Sweden  or emigrated to other Western countries.  Those who stayed behind , gave the beginning to the Polish diaspora in Sweden.

        After the war, many Poles made their home in Sweden. At the same time, Swedes extended humanitarian aid to Poland, providing food and medicines, building hospitals and clinics. Cultural and economic contacts flourished during the Seventies and Eighties, no doubt stimulated by the abolition of the visa requirement. To many Poles, a visit to Sweden was their first contact with the free Western world. Another surge in Swedish assistance was connected with the dramatic period of Solidarity activity and martial law in Poland. At that time Sweden received many Polish political exiles and granted support to the democratic opposition and the society at large.  It was Sweden’s largest charitable  operation since World War II.

        The fall of the Iron Curtain  created completely new possibilities for the development of contacts  between the societies, regions and companies of the two countries. As a result, the Swedish government and public opinion gave robust backing to Poland’s bid for EU membership. The Swedish EU Presidency marked a breakthrough  in the Union’s eastward enlargement; it led to the conclusion of accession talks with 10 candidate countries (including Poland) in Copenhagen in December 2002.

        After May 1 2004  Sweden was one of the three countries  that decided to open their labor markets  to citizens of the new member states.  Poland perceived Sweden’s decision as continuation of its previous stance, reflecting Polish-Swedish solidarity.

        Today, Poland and Sweden are close partners in the European Union  and have convergent views on many major European and international issues.  We share a vision of the future of Europe, as evidenced by the jointly sponsored Eastern Partnership initiative.  The traditional Polish-Swedish solidarity – an example of a spiritual community between two nations – is also important now, in the European Union.  Sweden and Poland, due to their historical experience, are well placed  to launch joint initiatives and contribute together to the advancement of the EU.

Piotr Paszkowski
Press Spokesman