Region: Poland makes plea to Germany

By Warsaw Voice Staff

For the Post

Poland will press for increased EU integration to combat the ongoing eurozone crisis, fully in line with policy calls issued earlier in the week by Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Berlin, as Poland sees a potential collapse of the eurozone as a fundamental threat, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a news conference Dec. 2.

"Nothing will ever again be like it was before the crisis," Tusk said. "Europe will either be more integrated or disintegrated from this crisis."

"Poland wants to be in the European Union and wants it to be an integrated, not a collapsing, union."

Tusk's comments followed a strong call in Berlin by Sikorski for stronger integration and German leadership to meet the challenge of the eurozone debt crisis.

"I demand of Germany that, for your own sake and for ours, you help the eurozone survive and prosper," Sikorski said during a speech before German politicians. "I will probably be the first Polish foreign minister in history to say so, but here it is: I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity."

Sikorski's speech, including a nearly outright offer to hand increased sovereignty to EU institutions and the statement that Poland fears German inaction more than it fears German power, triggered a harsh response from Poland's Euroskeptic opposition as well as media speculation that Sikorski had acted alone.

Immediately following Sikorski's speech in Berlin, the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party filed for a vote of no confidence in the foreign minister, citing his "extremely aggressive attitude" that is "incapable of inspiring trust."

"He should not be the creator of our foreign policy or a representative of Poland in the wider world," a statement from the party read.

Despite suggestions made by several politicians and media outlets that Tusk was unaware Sikorski would make such a strong plea to Germany, Tusk has publicly supported his foreign minister's comments.

"I fully endorse the appearance of Minister Sikorski," Tusk said. "The direction in the Sikorski speech is accepted by me and is the result of many months of work of the government and the [Polish EU] presidency. It obtained 100 percent of the results we assumed it would. The Polish arguments will be heard with greater attention after that speech."

A collapse of the eurozone, which Tusk says is a legitimate threat in the coming period, would pose a fundamental threat to Poland, he said.

Poland will also support greater EU oversight of members' finances, a stronger European Central Bank, a stronger European Commission with a greater democratic mandate and a nonvoting voice for non-euro EU members in eurozone policy, the PM declared.

In pushing for a "very strong role of the commission and other EU institutions," Poland will seek to "equip the commission and others with stronger tools," as well as put the commission "under greater democratic control." The goal: to increase member state fiscal discipline.

Tusk said the eurozone requires a central bank that is "the real thing" for policy setting with a role written into the EU treaty.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy seem to agree, as reports have surfaced claiming the two have asked Poland and Sweden - both non-eurozone nations - to be part of a new treaty they are proposing that seeks closer integration among member states. The treaty is open to any EU country willing to commit to adhering to strict controls on taxation and spending or be subject to penalties by the European Court of Justice. Merkel said such a "fiscal union" is the only way to fend off the growing euro crisis.

"We need budget discipline and effective crisis management mechanisms," she told the lower house of German Parliament Dec. 2. "So we need to change the treaties or create new treaties."

Poland, it was reported in German media, was asked to participate in drafting the new measures, despite not currently being part of the eurozone.

Polish President Bronisław Komorowski gave his support Dec. 2 to the strengthening of economic controls for all 27 EU member states in order to save the eurozone.

"Poland and Poles believe in the free market, European integration and the strengthening of the European economy through deeper integration in many areas," he said, adding he also agreed with Sikorski's comments but wished they had been spoken first in Poland rather than abroad.

"[Sikorski's speech] contained necessary proposals for discussion," he said. "But it would have been worthwhile to have had a debate in Poland because then there would not be such heated emotions."

- Jack Buehrer contributed to this report.

The writers can be reached at news@praguepost.com