[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6944-6945]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



     CONGRATULATING POLAND ON THE 210TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE POLISH 
                              CONSTITUTION

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today marks the 210th anniversary of the 
Polish Third of May Constitution, which was the first democratic 
constitution in Europe and the second one in world's history after the 
American Constitution was ratified in 1788. On May 3, 1791 the Polish 
Parliament followed the example of the United States and adopted its 
own written and modern supreme law of the land.
  The Constitution signed by the Polish King and the Lithuanian Grand 
Duke was originally known as the Bill on Government and it extended 
equal protection of the law to every person, including peasants, as 
well as establishing separation of powers. Although the Constitution 
formally lasted only for a few years until the Third Partition of 
Poland, today the legacy of this historic document is still alive. It 
tells us about the grand Polish tradition of democracy, which was 
crafted in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century, 
evolved in the Polish Republic after regaining independence in 1917, 
and was reconfirmed in the early 1990's following the end of the cold 
war.
  Poland's has been a success story in its smooth transition to a 
liberal democracy with a free market economy. I was proud to cast my 
vote in the Senate in favor of the enlargement of the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization, NATO, to include Poland, Hungary and the Czech 
Republic. Poland was admitted to NATO on March 12, 1999, and has become 
a close ally and friend of the United States, which is a home to more 
than 9 million people of Polish descent. Furthermore, Poland is one of 
the frontrunners seeking membership in the European Union.
  We must continue our support for Poland's successful integration in 
the Western structures of security and economic cooperation, which 
promote peace, stability, and prosperity across all of Europe. I firmly 
believe that both America and Poland share the same goal of continuing 
to enlarge NATO by admitting the Baltic countries into NATO in order to 
enhance the overall tranquility in the region.
  As a Senator of the State of Illinois, where the Polish community is 
the second largest in the country, I hope my colleagues in the Senate 
will join me in congratulating Poland on its remarkable celebration of 
anniversary of their democratic constitution. I also believe that they 
will join me in providing their support to Poland's continuing endeavor 
to contribute to the security and stability of the entire European 
continent.

[[Page 6945]]

  The Third May Constitution two centuries ago signaled to the world 
that Poland entered the family of emerging Western democratic states. 
Our effort today should be to make sure that Poland's centuries-long 
commitment to democracy culminates in Poland fulfilling its promise as 
a full-fledged member of the Western democratic world and ceasing to be 
discounted as part of Europe's ``grey zone.''

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