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Sinowiec, who is hosting a meeting of EU countries' embassies in Warsaw, is positive about Poland’s preparedness to lead often heated debates in the EU's Council of Ministers, whch seeks consensus among the 27 EU member states.
"I've been observing those preparations since October, and they are very thorough. I wish them all the best in managing it in the difficult time of the election campaign," said Sinowiec.
Poland will hold parliamentary elections in the middle of its EU presidency on 30 October. The election is expected to confirm the ruling party of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Civic Platform, as the country's main political force, according to opinion polls.
"They are approaching work with a kind of 'Alexey Stakhanov' attitude, in a positive sense. I mean it is like during the accession negotiations: people are fully mobilised, and I've noticed that work is better when you have a clear objective," Sinowiec added.
Stakhanovism refers to a 1930s movement in communist Russia named after Alexey Stakhanov, a coal miner who once mined 14 times his quota, establishing the notion of 'socialist competition'.
The EU diplomat said there was a "core group" of people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had been dealing with EU issues for a long time and had a lot of experience.
"This is the first Polish presidency, a kind of maturity test for us," said Sinowiec, who has been in charge of the European Commission's representation in Poland since last October.
Showcasing good use of EU funds
Warsaw wishes to draw attention to the "uniquely high" level of support for the EU in Poland. The Union is backed by nearly 80% of the population, while in times of crisis, Poles have more confidence in the EU institutions than in their national authorities, Sinowiec said.
In that sense, Warsaw hopes to showcase its resistance to the global economic crisis, which it says is due among other factors to its good use and absorption of EU funds.
As EurActiv previously reported, Poland hopes to influence upcoming negotiations on the EU's long-term budget after 2014.
"[EU funding] benefits Poland, and it also benefits the other EU member states," Sinowiec insisted.
The head of the Commission's Warsaw office also insisted that the Polish government, pressed by the EU, had committed itself to reducing its budget deficit next year.
"We're holding our fingers crossed for their success because it may not be an easy task," she said, pointing out that Poland, which has joined the Euro Plus Pact for constitutional limits on public debt, has had such safeguards built into its constitution for a long time.
Unconventional gas and Eastern relations
Sinowiec confirmed that Poland would promote the development of unconventional gas as one of its EU presidency priorities.
"We will of course discuss shale gas, which offers Poland, but also the whole of Europe, a chance to diversify sources of energy supplies and shift to a low-emissions economy," she added.
The head of the EU mission to Poland also refered to Warsaw's ambitions to develop relations with the Union's Eastern neighbourhood.
"I am proud to observe that the Eastern Partnership project has been carried through, and now Warsaw is also looking at North Africa. This is a sign of maturity, that Warsaw does not limit itself to its regional priorities," she said.
Today, the heads of the EU representations throughout the Union will listen to representatives of the Polish government, who will present the Polish Presidency priorities.
Deputy Minister for Finance Jacek Dominik will speak about the European Union as a source of economic growth, and Deputy Minister Krzysztof Stanowski, in charge of development co-operation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will discuss the benefits of EU enlargement and stability in Europe's neighbourhood.
In the afternoon, Minister for European Affairs Mikołaj Dowgielewicz will talk about negotiations on the future multi-annual EU budget, which are about to start soon, and Deputy Minister for Economy Marcin Korolec will focus on the external aspects of energy policy, which are part of Poland's 'Secure Europe' presidency priority.
As part of its public affairs effort, Warsaw will host a dinner with Leszek Balcerowicz, the architect of Poland's "shock therapy" reforms of the early 1990s, who was briefly mulled as a posible candidate for new head of the International Monetary Fund.
"Professor Balcerowicz [...] is himself a symbol of transformation and reform, and will present an independent opinion on economic issues," Sinowiec said.
The programme also includes a meeting with Ilkka Laitinen, director of FRONTEX, the Warsaw-based EU borders agency.
Based on reporting from EurActiv.pl
