Merkel pledges support to Poland

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that Germany was ready to support Poland if it decided to enter the eurozone and that the conditions for accession to the single currency were fulfilled.

Speaking during the first official visit by Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz to Berlin, Merkel said Germany would be delighted if Poland were to go further down the path of integration into the European Union.

Kopacz, for her part, said that Poland was in principle interested in joining the eurozone.

But she reiterated some of her concerns, saying that before she could convince the Polish population of the benefits of the single currency, the eurozone would have to be "really secure, without any kind of crisis."

The Polish economy would also have to be in a very good state, she added, saying she saw it as her task to stabilize the country's finances.

Future of Ukraine

Turning to the topic of Poland's neighbor Ukraine, which is facing an insurgency from pro-Russian rebels in its eastern regions, Kopacz said she was in favor of it joining the EU. She said the country needed the help of the EU to carry out reforms in various areas, with the future aim of Ukraine's becoming a full member of the 28-member bloc.

She also emphasized the importance of EU monitoring of the Ukrainian parliamentary elections at the end of October.

Merkel promised to help "make a fair and transparent election possible," while warning that the ceasefire in Ukraine, agreed more than a month ago, was extremely fragile.

The 57-year-old Kopacz took over the reins from Donald Tusk a few weeks ago, after Tusk resigned following his appointment as new president of the European Council from December 1.

tj/sb (AFP, dpa, Reuters)