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Reformed EU would be good for UK, Poland: Cameron

Xinhua, February 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday said a reformed European Union (EU) would be good not only for Britain but also for Poland and the rest of Europe.

Speaking after an official visit to Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, Cameron said: "I think that the United Kingdom will be in a better situation when it is in a reformed European Union. If we can attain it, it will be not only good for the UK, for Europe, but also for Poland."

"We want to make sure that our cooperation with Poland will be as close as possible in coming months and coming years," he added.

High on the agenda of the meeting were Britain's ongoing negotiations concerning its EU membership and the situation of Polish migrant workers in Britain.

Szydlo told the press conference "I want to emphasize that for Poland, the UK is a very important strategic partner and it is crucial for us that the UK remains in the EU. The UK is one of the EU's pillars."

She indicated that Poland agreed with some of the British proposals concerning EU reform, such as improving EU competitiveness, strengthening the role of national parliaments and simplifying bureaucracy.

Another important point of bilateral talks included rights and privileges of migrant workers in Britain, a great share of which are Polish.

"There are over a million Poles living and working in the UK. I would like to thank PM Cameron that they found a good environment to live and work there," said Szydlo.

She emphasized that Poles in Britain, who contribute to the growth of British GDP, should have "the same conditions and chances for professional career growth as the British."

Szydlo's remark pertained to British government suggestions to implement a prolonged transition period for new migrants applying for social welfare benefits in Britain.

Both Szydlo and Cameron agreed Poland and Britain faced the same security challenges and tasks emanating from the migrants inflow to the EU, war in Syria and strengthening of the NATO east flank.

Cameron said it was in the UK's best interests to see a successful NATO summit in July 2016 in Poland.

On Friday, Cameron also met with the leader of the Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Endit