2019-07-02 21:21 update: 2019-07-06, 13:01
Photo PAP/Wojciech Olkuśnik
"Poland's goals at the EU summit have been achieved. We have shown that we need candidates, who have the potential to unite instead of antagonise," the Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki said after the end of the summit in Brussels.
"I knew that decisions taken at the EU summit the day before yesterday and yesterday are of key significance for the EU's future for many years to come," the Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters after the end of the summit in Brussels on Tuesday.
"We have shown that we need candidates, who have the potential to unite instead of antagonise Europe, who do not offend member states, who understand differences between European countries since this is the only way to work out common policies within the European Union," Morawiecki said.
The Polish PM explained that "this is why Poland opposed the candidacy of Frans Timmermans, which was unacceptable since he was not a candidate uniting Europe." He also stressed that the EU was very close to the election of a radical candidate, a candidate of the ideological left wing, Frans Timmermans.
PM Morawiecki added that "this is a new opening for Europe, which requires new people."
"The Visegrad Group (V4) was speaking with one voice at the EU summit and its role was visible," the Polish PM remarked.
"We have shown that the escalation of a conflict with Poland and attacks against our country do not lead to anything good," Morawiecki went on to say.
"(...) irrespective of the fact that the four V4 PMs come from different parliamentary groups, V4 was speaking with one voice about what Europe needs, namely, a common policy against protectionism, a common industrial policy, a common policy regarding structural funds, and a common agricultural policy," he added.
"I see a huge chance of building a common denominator and cohesion of our politics together with the potential president of the European Commission," Morawiecki said, underlining again the unity of the Visegrad Group and "its ability to build coalitions."
"We have shown that huge pressure, very strong pressure on Poland is not the path to work out compromise. Poland is not a country to be blackmailed," Morawiecki told reporters, adding that "candidates, who are a chance to build such compromise, are the path to this compromise."
The Polish official also declared that the EC should be politicised in the least degree and start focusing on real problems.
Morawiecki stressed that one of the EC vice-presidents should be a representative of a Central European country, and added he was very glad that Poland managed to build "an effective coalition."
European Union leaders have broken three days of deadlock and nominated new heads for the 28-nation bloc's institutions.
European Council President Donald Tusk said in a series of tweets on Tuesday that German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has been backed to become president of the executive European Commission, and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel the head of the European Council.
Frenchwoman Christine Lagarde has been nominated as the head of the European Central Bank and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell as EU foreign policy chief. (PAP)
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