Poland and Ukraine sign ‘road map"
On September 30th 2010, in Warsaw, the Minister of Sport and Tourism Adam Giersz and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Borys Kolesnikow signed a ‘road map’ for Poland and Ukraine, setting the areas of cooperation between the two countries in the process of preparation for UEFA EURO 2012TM.
" We are entering the final phase of implementation of infrastructural projects and shifting our focus to soft measures concerning issues such as safety and transport" said Minister of Sport and Tourism Adam Giersz after signing the ‘road map’, which identifies safety, cross-border traffic, joint airspace, medical safety and public relations as key areas of joint Polish and Ukrainian activities.
The signing of the agreement was preceded by the fourth session of the Polish-Ukrainian Committee for the Preparation and Implementation of EURO 2012, chaired by the Prime Ministers of Poland and Ukraine, Donald Tusk and Mykoła Azarow. During the session, progress in the preparation of Poland and Ukraine for the organization of the tournament was evaluated and the main points of the ‘road map’ were discussed.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk admitted he was impressed by progress in Ukraine; he assured that Poland has always been in favour of symmetrical organization of the tournament and expressed hope that this approach will be adopted by the UEFA Executive Committee during its next session to be held in Mińsk.
“Today, we meet as two partners who have proved they can do it. Thanks to EURO 2012 Poland and Ukraine can achieve great things and the whole of Europe will be able to see two proud countries” said Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykoła Azarow admitted that for Ukraine, the organization of EURO 2012 is not only about football but also about seizing an opportunity for development and for integration with Western Europe.
At the end of the session, Prime Minister Azarow suggested that the sessions of the Polish-Ukrainian Committee should take place twice a year to ensure that any problems associated with the organization of the European Championship are addressed more swiftly.