Posted on 10/01/2005 11:13:11 AM PDT by lizol
Presidential frontrunner in Poland rejects Big Six idea
By George Parker in Brussels
Published: October 1 2005 03:00 | Last updated: October 1 2005 03:00
Donald Tusk, frontrunner in this month's Polish presidential elections, has rejected calls for Europe to be led by a group of six big countries including Poland.
The proposal of a G6 directorate to lead Europe out of its political malaise was made last month by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French presidential hopeful, who said small countries should not be able to block initiatives by the six biggest members.
Mr Tusk, a pro-business liberal, told the Financial Times he was flattered Mr Sarkozy thought Poland should be in the group, but said Europe should not be run by an exclusive club.
"I don't think that is the method for taking us forward," he said. "We believe in solidarity and that doesn't mean some countries are better than others."
Mr Tusk, from the centre-right Civic Platform party, is favourite to win presidential elections on October 9. His party is in coalition talks with the conservative Law and Justice party after last month's general elections.
He said it was vital for Warsaw to repair the crisis in relations with Paris, which have never recovered from divisions over Iraq.
But he said a centre-right government in Warsaw would not dilute its relationship with Washington. "We want to keep these relations as good as possible," he said. Poland has agreed a timetable with its allies in Iraq for the withdrawal of troops; from January its forces will be involved mainly in a training role.
Mr Tusk also stressed his country's good relations with Britain, which he said was a natural ally in areas such as foreign policy, economic reform and free trade.
"There's an opinion in Poland that the biggest European political leader is Tony Blair," he said.
But he said Mr Blair's refusal in June to agree a new seven-year EU budget was badly received in Poland, which will be the biggest net beneficiary of federal transfers from Brussels.
"We hope for a more open attitude," he said, adding that he expected Mr Blair to use the British presidency to speed up progress towards a budget deal.
Mr Tusk also criticised Mr Blair for failing to show more solidarity with Poland in developing a tough united European policy towards Russia.
Warsaw has been dismayed at the way Germany and France have developed close bilateral ties with Vladimir Putin, Russian president, particularly in the commercial field.
"Principles and human rights are at least as important as economic interests," he said.
Mr Tusk said he was worried by recent protectionist tendencies in the EU. In particular he wants "old" EU members, including France and Germany, to lift their restrictions on the free movement of workers from Poland.
"We support a more freedom-oriented market economy," he said. "It looks to me that sometimes Poland is one of the last defenders of these principles, along with the UK."
Looks like Poland does not want to be more equal.
But, Mr. Tusk, that IS the plan.
Good point, but hypocritical Western Europe doesn't get it. They can bluster about Bush=Hitler all they want but keep the criticism of China, if it even exists, to a bare minimum lest they decide not to buy Airbus anymore. Cowards.
The idea of the "Big Six" is interesting and dangerous at the same time. Nicolas Sarkozy, the coming new strong man in France, is searching for ways to get the EU, who has sprung leak, afloat again. Since the EU is simply too big and the decision-making process doesn't work properly anymore, the old powers inside the EU are thinking about new ways to restore their old status again.
In France, Benelux and Germany the dream of a political union is still very actual. Especially the French assume, that their political and economical influence is growing immense if they are able to absorb Germany and the Benelux countries into a new system that is going to be dominated by their politicians. The recent decline of the EU constiution in France was not linked to a anti-EU attitude of the French people. It was the answer to Chiracs incompetence and a denial to a membership of Turkey. The idea of a core is quite popular among the French people.
Since Germany seems to be disrupted and plagued with a weak leadership in the next years, the French desires could come true. Sarkozy is a much more skilled and disingenuous politician as it seems from the outside. He understood that the idea of a political union is not possible with too many participants. Personally, I am sure that Sarkozy is not interested into too many members of his "leading club".
Besides of this hidden development I also see the necessity of a better basis for decision making inside the EU. In contrary to a core, dominated by the French, is this in the well known interest of all EU-members. Anyway a leaders club is BS, but we should think about making the thing work, if we want to avoid new trenches in Europe.
Since it is possible that Germany will tumble along without strong leadership during the next 4 years, it would be very helpful if the new gouvernment and the new president of Poland would try to bind its neighbour into closer ties to avoid a further polarisation inside the EU. The whole thing has to be kept balanced. We do not know who will have the power in Germany in the next years and we do not know if weak German politicians will subordinate under a convienient French rule which could be quite popular among all voters in western continental Europe. Agressive and populist blahblah is contraproductive and will take away the possibility to take influence.
P.S. The recent agreement of the German-Russian pipeline is a good example of the failure of unbalanced politics. It is better to convince enough politicians of the neighbour in the right time to avoid such unpleasant decisions. I would say that 98% of Germans or German politicians didn't understood the importance of the issue to Poland. Most of my compatriots just see it as a good business. Nothing more or less. Therefore Schroeder got thousands of votes. They do not understand the threat to Poland and its neighbours. Since Poland took its chances against German economic competition in the past nobody really cared. If there would have been more public work, information, lobbying and direct contact to our politicians there would have been a real chance to stop this project. Now it will be too late.
Poland needs play nice with the French and the Szwabs. Poland is too poor to dissmis this proposal, do not cut your nose in spite of your face. These two have a long memory and Poland will need lots of financial support in the next couple of decades to try and catch up. Once Poland is on stable footing then it is another story. Remember no one else will give Poland the cash. Bite you tounge and wait.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the alliance between Poland and England one of oldest known to mankind?"
During Napoleon's wars Poland fought against England on the French side :)
If you would like to go to a long-term alliance with the Brits, look to Portugal, which has, for the most part, been a loyal ally of the UK since independence.
I rather think G6 is a trick to keep Europe socialist. What is G6 supposed to do? To set rules for the EU? But if the rules were beneficial for everyone then why not ask everyone for their consent? Eh? Tusk rightly rejected this idea of G6 and he will be a good president (I will vote for him)
if it can fit into the Divine plan,
It is the divine plan I believe :)) Read Michael Novaks's books.
Poland may have more in common with Middle East and African cultures in that they wouldn't want to risk offending God with abortion and same-sex unions.
You know, if you want to flatter Poles or say something nice to them you should rather say that they have something in common with America. That would be the best of all compliments ;-))). And it would be actually more true. An American friend of mine who spent some time in Poland told me (I myself never was in America) that when you come to Poland you feel as if you were in Nebraska. Was it a compliment?
My nation is a part of Europen Union for the time being. We do not intend to join Latin America. A few years before Poland joined EU there was a plan abroad in some libertarian circles that Poland should join NAFTA instead of EU. Most Poles laughed at this surreal and preposterous idea (not to mention that its authors never asked US or Canada if they wanted Poland among them).
then you'd have a blooming economy and finally get some great soccer teams too (please don't take offense ;-D ).
Whhhhhat? We don't have a great soccer team?!! Just watch our match against England on 12.10.2005. We are gonna kick those English pansies' asses!!!
Seriously, Poland wants to be a free-market country like America, a part of EU, and befriended with Latin America , Africa and Asia as well.;)) The fact that Poles are flattered by any comparison to America doesn't mean that we don't have our own dignity and a our own idea for life ;)
I have nothing against friendship with Russia, but I would hate it, if my gouvernment and Putty (I like that) will share their bed. Although Schroeder and Putty would already make a nice pair (togehter with Chirac a double-bed will not be satisfactory anymore - BuHuHaHa), I doubt that this game will work out for them, since next monday Schroeder will be no chancellor anymore...
If it joined the "Gang of Six", it likely would find itself consistently outvoted by the others, and with less power than it had as a chief "spokesman" for the new democracies of eastern and central Europe.
The Poles are right to avoid this little trap that's been laid out for them.
This dammed pipeline isn't a big deal in Germany since the public didn't get the strategic importance for eastern Europe. BTW - it took me some time to understand myself the whole dimension too. The media gave us the impression, that some Polish politicians are concerned because they do not get their transit fees anymore, but there was no word about the possibility to exclude Poland from Russian gas deliveries. It is nothing new, that some of your politicians are whining bitterly when Germany is working for its own economic interests. Our people remember very well the unflexible positions of Poland in EU-matters i.e.. Therefore nobody really cared that Poland is loosing some transit fees for Russian gas. Schroeder left a good impression among German voters, because they had the suggestion that this pipeline is good business.
Since I know the consequences of this deal in the meantime I dismiss it totally. Although I go in for good business even if this is against the economic interests of our competitors, we have absolutely no right to destablize the security of our neighbours. No matter how much money is earned with such a deal.
The bad thing is, that I do not have a solution to:
1. Convince the politicians to reject the deal
2. Convince and inform the German public that this deal was evil.
Therefore I think it will be smart if Poland would represent its interests in Germany better in the future than it did in in the past. A littlebit less affray and a littlebit more contact to important people. More importance on actual issues. All this expelled-BS i.e. is just explosive political and emotional junk. Nobody (important*) in Germany wants to invade Poland again. We should work togehter on the future in our well understood own interest.
* Maybe except some 90 year old methuselahs and some idiots of the NPD who should stay in a lunatic asylum.
But I was asking If that helped SPD in elections.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.