Poland to ‘play rough’ after Tusk’s reappointment
WARSAW: Poland will start obstructing European Union business and ‘‘play a rough game’’ in Brussels, after the bloc angered Warsaw by reappointing Donald Tusk as head of the European Council, the foreign minister said.
Tusk, Poland’s former prime minister and a longstanding rival of current Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, won a second term as chairman of EU summit meetings. Poland was the only country to vote against his extension.
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said in comments published yesterday his Government would respond to the vote by ‘‘blocking other initiatives, to play a very rough game’’ in the Euro pean Union.
‘‘One has to state it openly: EU policy turned out to be a policy of double standards and cheating,’’ Waszczykowski told tabloid Super Express.
He said Poland could not boycott the European Council and would take part in its meetings.
‘‘We must be aware that we may be cheated any moment,’’ he said.
Warsaw has portrayed Tusk’s reappointment as a case of Polish vital national interests being ignored by a Brussels machine dominated by Germany.
‘‘For sure, we must drastically lower our level of trust towards the EU. Also start conducting a negative policy,’’ Waszczykowski said.
The Polish Government of the eurosceptic Law and Justice party has already clashed with the European Commission over issues including the rule of law, migrants, climate policy and environmental protection.
However, despite the Government’s disputes with the EU, Polish society is overwhelmingly in favour of EU membership. Poland is by far the biggest recipient in the 28member bloc of billions of euros in EU aid.