Donald Tusk: photo - PAP
Prime Minister Donald Tusk also said that Poland will not sign the latest anti-crisis pact if his government does not have full rights to attend eurozone meetings.
“If we decide that the final proposals do not provide us with influence over decisions, we will not sign the pact,” he said, Thursday.
Before the crunch summit in Brussels which begins next week, German chancellor Angela Merkel said at the Davos economic forum yesterday that the austerity reforms being enacted in Greece, Ireland, Italy and others had to be balanced with reforms of how Europe is governed of the sovereign dent crisis is to be overcome.
Last December, the 17 nations that use the euro agreed to adopt reforms that would allow European institutions to punish nations that exceed their budget deficit limits.
But Merkel acknowledged "tensions" between countries that have adopted the euro and those like Poland who have yet to, but want influence over anti-finance crisis decisions.
PM Tusk confirmed that Poland will insist on a unified response to the finance crisis and will not allow the EU to split into two parts, or more.
"Poland will stick firmly to its demand that European unity be maintained. The compact must not lead to an ingrained division of the European Union into two clubs, those with the euro and those without. That would be bad for Poland and bad for the rest of Europe," he said.
Proponents believe greater synchronicity in fiscal affairs is essential if the EU is to avoid more Greece-like financial meltdown in the future as it will impose greater rigour in areas such as tax collection.
Critics argue it will lead to a further centralisation of the EU and will widen what many see as a democratic deficit within the bloc.
The UK has been lukewarm, to say the least, on such deepening and wants a widening of the EU, with Ukraine and Turkey for example slated until relatively recently at least as possible new members.
The UK also wants more emphasis on the single market, with a focus on creating a more efficient internal market within the bloc without the need for deeper political union.
Tusk was speaking after opposition conservative party Law and Justice (PiS) MP Krzysztof Szczerski laid a motion in parliament for an unscheduled parliamentary debate on the pact.
The ruling Civic Platform (PO) and its smaller coalition partner, Peasants Party (PSL) - with a majority in parliament - voted such a motion down.
The government had made its stance clear at a Thursday meeting, Tusk said.
“We are ready to sign the pact, but only when we have a voice that allows us to be part of activities that also influence what happens in the euro-zone,” Tusk said.
Poland wants all countries within the 27-stroing bloc but outside the 17-strong euro-zone to be represented – with heads of state as observers – at all euro-zone summits and finance ministers to be included at euro-group meetings if any tightening of EU fiscal policy goes ahead.
Tusk said if these conditions were met Poland would sign the pact.
“But Poland will not sign the pact at any cost,” the PM said.(pg/jh)