Who we are - British Council

70 facts about the British Council Poland

Mixed Commission

In 1978 the governments of Britain and Poland signed formal Convention of co-operation in the fields of science, education and culture. In practice there had been many years of successful bi-lateral working before 1978 but the Convention placed the co-operation on a formal basis. It was agreed that bi-lateral discussions would continue via a Mixed Commission meeting every three years – the venue alternating between the two countries.

The Mixed Commission organised this year in Edinburgh was the tenth in the series.
The agreement was ratified by the mixed commission meeting on 8-9 June 2009, led by the British Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland.

Head of the British Delegation Peter Ellwood, British Council, with Head of the Polish Delegation
Joana Stachyra, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The agreement is intended not to be an old-fashioned list of activities but to highlight issues that are of significance to the overall relationship. The meeting was also a platform for rich discussions about cultural relations between two countries to which we invited key contacts from Scotland.

You may read the agreed record of the tenth session of the Mixed Commission here.

	WHAT IS THE BRITISH COUNCIL?


	The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Our purpose is to build mutually beneficial relationships between people in the UK and other countries and to increase appreciation of the UK's creative ideas and achievements. We are present in over 100 countries worldwide.

The British Council in Poland started in 1938, when its Polish office was established in Warsaw. Warsaw was one of the first five cities in which the British Council founded foreign sections for its activities. With the exception of a break brought about by the 2nd World War, the British Council has been continuously and actively present in Poland, familiarising Polish people with the English language and the culture and achievements of the United Kingdom. Find out more about the first 70 years of our work in Poland

The British Council achieves its purposes operating in many areas. The educational activities of our Polish operation include:

teaching of English in its renowned language centres in Warsaw and Kracow,
providing access to extensive British literature and cultural resources through a countrywide network of British Libraries,
offering a broad range of British language and professional examinations through a network of examination centres all over Poland.

The British Council Poland also engages in many cultural, educational and social projects. Their goal is to share the UK’s creative ideas and achievements and support Polish people in acquiring knowledge and skills essential in a united Europe.