Tusk heads to Brussels as potential advocate of Balkan EU candidates

11 months ago 32

Newly appointed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in Brussels on Wednesday for the EU’s Western Balkans summit, with Polish media speculating that he could become an advocate of EU accession for the Balkan region.

Tusk’s visit to Brussels marks his first trip since officially taking up the post of prime minister after being appointed by President Andrzej Duda.

“Poland returned to Europe. For me, this is probably the most important moment in my political life,” Tusk said during a press briefing in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon.

Tusk has already served as Polish prime minister for almost two terms, between 2007 and 2014 until he was nominated for the European Council President.

Commenting on his time as European Council chief, when, as he recalled during the briefing, he was known to be obsessed with Russia, he said: “I would prefer to have been proven wrong, but I was right. My role today is to strengthen Europe’s determination”.

It is now crucial for Europe to continue supporting Ukraine, Tusk stressed, adding that he was “unable to come to terms with any mood of apathy or fatigue with Ukraine”, which he described as “unacceptable to him”.

Apart from being a proponent of continuous support to Kyiv, Tusk may also become an advocate for Western Balkan EU accession, as expected by Polish media.

Poland has long been perceived as a backer of the region’s EU ambitions, regardless of which party is in power, Konrad Pawłowski, an analyst at the Institute of Central Europe (IEŚ), told Money.pl.

A possible obstacle, however, is Poland’s undermined position in the EU due to going against the rule of law for eight years under the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) government, the paper says.

The PiS government regularly clashed with the European Commission over its controversial reforms, which the Commission said undermined the independence of the judiciary and fundamental freedoms in Poland.

Though relations with Brussels may improve as a result of the broad coalition led by Tusk and consisting of his Civic Coalition bloc (KO, EPP/S&D), the centrist Third Way alliance (Renew/EPP) and the Left (S&D/Left) taking over PiS’ reins.

“I want this coalition to fall apart as soon as possible. I don’t believe it can take Poland forward. Nor do I believe in the assurances that this coalition will oppose EU (treaty) reforms. I just don’t believe it,” PiS MEP Kosma Złotowski told Euractiv Poland.

The now-former PiS cabinet was a vocal critic of the European Parliament’s proposal for EU treaty reform. Still, Tusk opposed it as well, warning against “naïve ‘Euroenthusiasm’ that led to Brexit.”

“I don’t rule out that this time, Donald Tusk has drawn conclusions from the previous eight years and will fulfil his promises. We’ll see,” Złotowski added.

[Sonia Otfinowska contributed reporting]

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)