The study is an attempt to present the situation of Poland and Lithuania after their accession to the European Union, and of the evolution of social assessment of the membership in the Union by Poles. A particularly important moment is the transition from looking at the EU from the point of view of the material benefits associated with the accession to looking at the European Community as a community of values, one that guarantees European solidarity and equal opportunities, also in the material sphere. The authors consider whether the national (and nationalist) sentiments, along with demanding attitudes in Poland towards the states of “the old union” constitute a threat to the adoption of common values and the role of Poland in the European community.
