Poland
Euroscepticism is not particularly popular in Poland. Ever since the country regained its independence from Soviet rule, Europe has been the obvious choice for Polish politicians, even though initially only few of them believed a membership of the European institutions could be achieved on a short term. For the average Pole, Europe represents not only welfare, freedom and democracy, but also a civilisation that distinguishes Poland from (non-European) cultures like Russia, still identified by many as Poland’s main enemy. For a long time, euroscepticism has therefore been the sole domain of extremist parties and individuals in the margin of the political scene. Apart from that, virtually the entire political panorama can be considered pro-European, if not out of love for Europe, then at least for the sheer lack of an alternative. This goes not only for liberal parties like the Civic Platform (PO) and centrists like the Democrats, but also – notably – for the post-communist Alliance of the Democratic Left (SLD).