| |
| 1996, Jan. 24 |
| |
| Jozef Oleksy resigned because of allegations of espionage, although he denied all of the allegations. On Feb. 7 Poland swore in former Communist Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz as its new premier. | 1 |
| |
| 1998, March 30 |
| |
| At a ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, the European Union formally began membership talks with Poland. Also invited to apply for membership were Estonia, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic. The ceremony included preliminary discussion about possible future membership processes with Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia. This EU expansion effort marked the first time in EU history that formal negotiations would include former Soviet-bloc nations. | 2 |
| |
| 1999, March 12 |
| |
| Poland became a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Also joining were the Czech Republic and Hungary. | 3 |
| |
| June 5–17 |
| |
| Polish-born Pope John Paul II visited Poland for what some speculated would be the last time. The Pope stopped in 21 cities in the course of his eighth visit to Poland. This was the longest tour of a country that he had made during his 20-year papacy. | 4 |
| |
| Sept. 2 |
| |
| Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Janusz Tomaszewski resigned following a court investigation of illegal police activities that dated back to the time before the country had been lifted from Communist rule. | 5 |
| |
| |
