The new German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, has said his government will continue Germany's policy of backing the expansion of the European Union to include Eastern European countries.

Speaking in Poland during his first visit to the region since taking office last month, Mr Schroeder said his government fully supported Warsaw's bid to join the EU; but he refused to set a date for entry.

The Polish Prime Minister, Jerzy Buzek, said he was disappointed by Mr Schroeder's silence on the issue.

The former German chancellor, Helmut Kohl, had suggested that Poland could join the EU as early as the year two-thousand.