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European Union

Poland Clears Path for EU Constitution Deal

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Poland's three top politicians have signaled their willingness to compromise on the EU's new constitution, paving the way for a potential agreement at the upcoming Brussels summit. The country's politicians have expressed a desire to avoid isolation and have stated that they are now prepared to negotiate a deal based on a simpler "double majority" system for voting power. This move is expected to delight Germany and France, but Irish diplomats still face the challenge of finding a voting formula that will be acceptable to all member states.

Key Takeaways:

  • Poland's three top politicians, including Prime Minister Leszek Miller, have agreed to compromise on the EU's new constitution, aiming to avoid isolation and make the union more democratically accountable.
  • The new constitution would introduce a new EU president and foreign minister, streamline decision-making, and give the EU more democratic oversight.
  • Poland and Spain have agreed to negotiate a deal based on a simpler "double majority" system for voting power, abandoning their previous opposition to a compromise deal.
  • Mr. Miller has stated that he would recommend to EU president Bertie Ahern that talks on the constitution be relaunched at the Brussels summit, citing the importance of finding a compromise to avoid isolation.
  • Polish politicians have expressed concerns that Spain's new Socialist government left them exposed on the voting question, but there is no Warsaw-Madrid axis, according to President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
  • The absence of WMD evidence has made life more difficult for the Polish government, which is already unpopular, but there is no suggestion that Polish troops will be pulled out of Iraq until their mission is complete.

Statistics:

  • 25 - The number of EU member states that will be affected by the new constitution.
  • 2000 - The year in which the EU agreed to the voting weights at the Nice summit.
  • 1 - The estimated time frame by which Spain and Poland expect to negotiate a deal on voting power under the "double majority" system.
  • 3 - The number of Polish politicians who have expressed a desire to compromise on the EU's new constitution.

Sources:

  • Warsaw-based news sources, without date.
  • Warsaw Post, "Poland Clears Path for EU Constitution Deal", without date.

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