In a statement published on Monday as Poland marks the 19th anniversary of its EU accession, Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the country’s support for the countries that are on the path to joining the bloc, stressing that only a fully united Europe can face the challenges ahead.

“Nineteen years ago, on May 1, 2004, Poland became a member of the European Union. Today, countries that are on the path toward European integration have our support. Only a fully united Europe can face the challenges ahead,” the statement published on Twitter read.

Occasional tweets were also published by the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland and the Office of the Prime Minister of Poland.

#OTD in 2004, #Poland joined the European Union together with 🇨🇾🇨🇿🇪🇪🇱🇹🇱🇻🇲🇹🇸🇰🇸🇮🇭🇺.

It was the biggest-ever enlargement of the EU!

🇵🇱🤝🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/Tm3o3Ivkhi

— Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland (@PremierRP_en) May 1, 2023

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin tweeted, referring to the anniversary, that 19 years ago Poland had joined the European Union believing the block would be a community of nations based on mutual cooperation and values. “This is the kind of EU that we want to co-create,” he wrote.

The Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy stressed that “these years have been a time of dynamic development, billions of dollars in investments, shortening of economic and social divides, peace, integration, a multitude of positive changes, new opportunities for Polish women and men.”

The Chancellery of Poland’s Lower House noted that 19 years ago Poland joined the European Union along with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Hungary. “The event, which was the largest EU enlargement in history, marked the culmination of a long period of transformation following the collapse of the communist system in Central and Eastern Europe,” it said.

The Chancellery of the Senate, Poland’s Higher House, demonstrated the EU accession as the fulfillment of Poles’ dreams of returning to the free world, and a final undoing of the division of the continent into competing hostile ideological and political camps.