Poland veto issue making waves at EU summit

Poland's veto on EU-Russia treaty talks is making waves at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday (14 December), with president Lech Kaczynski discussing new proposals on a solution and his aides saying the atmosphere is more positive than ever.

Mr Kaczynski met face-to-face with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, Finnish PM Matti Vanhanen and German chancellor Angela Merkel on the topic, in between contacts with his twin brother the Polish PM in Warsaw and with further meetings with Mr Vanhanen and Ms Merkel set to take place on Friday.

"There are elements in the new proposals [from Mr Vanhanen] that could be called inadequately unequivocal," he warned, before adding the new deal on the table is "better" than anything so far seen before the summit.

"Poland is inclined to compromise, but any such compromise must take into account the vital interests of Poland," he said.

Warsaw is still pushing to get written guarantees from the EU that if it agrees to start EU-Russia talks on a new strategic treaty today, but Russia refuses to lift its ban on Polish meat exports 50 or so days down the line, then the EU will suspend the Russia talks.

Speaking to EUobserver earlier on Thursday afternoon, Mr Vanhanen said "these kinds of ultimatums are unhelpful [when dealing with Russia]," but Mr Kaczynski's senior aide, Andrzej Krawczyk, showed optimism on the possibility of a solution at the summit itself.

"The atmosphere is very positive, we keep receiving messages of support from all sides," Mr Krawczyk stated. "If all goes positively, constructively there could be a solution in really a very short time."

"We are open, we are ready for constructive dialogue," he added. "We want to be a normal, constructive member of the EU. We don't want to be a European troublemaker - this veto was a cry of desperation."

"If the decision was up to me, this summit would be a very good time for Poland to agree a solution," an EU diplomat said. "With all the attention of Europe here today, all the cameras - the Polish president could really make the statement that he is a constructive partner in the EU."

Meanwhile in the background, Russia has provoked an angry reaction from the European Commission by saying only EU member states that sign bilateral food trade deals with Moscow will be able to export food from 1 January 2007.

"Russia has no reason to take this action and there is even less reason for bilateral agreements between member states and third countries," Mr Barroso said, before going on to explain that under the EU's free movement of goods principle, a trade problem in one member states merits EU-level action.
Source:euobserver.com