Election 2011 – EU commissioner Lewandowski given campaign go-ahead
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
21.09.2011 12:40
The EU’s budget commissioner Janusz Lewandowski has been authorised by the European Commission to take part in the Polish election campaign on behalf of the ruling Civic Platform party.
President of the commission, Jose Barroso, has given the go-ahead, saying that participating in domestic elections will not compromise his role as budget commissioner.
Lewandowski, who is head of Budget and Financial Programming for the EC, appeared in an election campaign video for the Civic Platform party, ahead of the 9 October election.
In the promo, he enthuses about the benefits that Poland faces in the EU, highlight the current bid to secure substantial funds for his home country.
“Its about billions, up to 300 billion zloty. Thanks to this money we could reduce youth unemployment by half,” Lewandowski says.
Other figures who appear in the video are Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and President of the EU parliament and former prime minisuer of Poland, Jerzy Buzek.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, EC spokesperson Pia Ahrenkilde said that the commission's president Jose Barroso “had consented” to Lewandowski taking part in the campaign and that Lewandowski's comments, which were “made in his own name”, were “reconcilable” with the EC's code of conduct. (nh/pg)