Radek Sikorski: photo - PAP/Radek Pietruszka
“We have avoided a multi-speed Europe: and we have reason for moderate satisfaction that the European Union has created new mechanisms to rescue the eurozone and that this will not cause unnecessary divisions in the union,” Sikorski told the TVP public broadcaster, Tuesday.
Poland will be able to attend summits on competitiveness and employment in the eurozone and will sign up in March to a new treaty which strengthens the European Commission's role in coordinating action against the finance crisis.
The Czech Republic and UK will not take part in the scheme.
Three class EU?
Leader of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD opposition party, Leszek Miller, disagrees that a multi-speed Europe has been avoided, however.
He claims that there is now three levels of integration within the EU.
“The train is moving in the right direction of economic and political integration. But we [Poland] are travelling in second class, not first class. To get into first class we would have to buy a ticket to the euro [single currency],” Miller told Polish Radio.
Miller claimed that if SLD remained in power after 2005, Poland would have adopted the single currency already.
Euro-MP for the largest opposition party in Poland, Law and Justice (PiS) Konrad Szymanski considers the EU summit this week a failure for Poland.
“Our policy is acceptance of what they {France and Germany] do,” said MEP Szymanski
He added that Poland doesn't even know which eurozone summits it will be invited to, calling Prime Minister Donald Tusk's claim that the talks this week were a success, “theatrical” and without substance.
Meanwhile, Greek prime minister Lucas Papademos will call a crisis meeting of all political parties in Athens on Thursday after returning from another round of negotiations in Frankfurt and Brussels, Tuesday.
The EU is demanding severe austerity measures before allowing Greece a further 130 billion euros in bailout funds.
Greek MPs are digging in however, resisting calls from the s-called 'troika' of the European Central Bank, EU and IMF for more wage cuts in the public sector and a reduction in the minimum wage for all workers. (pg)