Quigley Traveling to Poland
WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) will travel to Poland to attend a conference in Krakow commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Community of Democracies, an organization of 106 democratic nations which serves to promote democracy and strengthen democratic principles throughout the world. In addition to the Community of Democracies event, Quigley plans to pay his respects at the German concentration camp Auschwitz and meet with officials to discuss issues relevant to his Polish constituency.
The Community of Democracies was launched in Warsaw under the guidance of then-U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and then-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Bronislaw Geremek and has since established working groups all over the world. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek all plan to attend the prominent conference, along with representatives from more than 100 countries, including foreign ministers, activists, academics, business leaders, and representatives of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Earlier this summer, Quigley introduced and unanimously passed a resolution commending the Community of Democracies and Poland's contributions. He will bring copies of the resolution, H. Res. 1143, with him to Poland to present to foreign dignitaries.
Since being elected to Congress in April 2009, Quigley has been an ardent supporter of Poland, which recently celebrated 90 years of diplomatic relations with the United States. Upon taking office, Quigley pledged his support to the Polish-American community and committed to traveling to Poland as soon as possible.
Following the tragic plane crash in April, Quigley was scheduled to fly with President Barack Obama as the official House of Representatives delegate to the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, but was unable to attend because of the volcanic ash that interrupted air travel across Europe.
Quigley has been a strong advocate for Polish and Polish-American communities introducing legislation and working on extending the Visa Waiver Program, which waives visa restrictions for Polish citizens. He also worked successfully to include the provision in Rep. Luis Gutierrez's (D-IL) Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. On several occasions, he has spoken on the House floor about Poland and issues important to the Polish community in the United States.
Quigley represents over 110,000 Polish-American constituents. His district is home to one of the largest populations of Poles in the United States.