In the European Parliament, the Prime Minister summed up the six months of the Polish Presidency of the European Union Council. ‘We took on tasks with an awareness of our own capabilities.
Everywhere we have managed to bring our commitments to their final stage,’ he said. He added that the Polish leadership was a leadership of people serious about Europeas a community. ‘People who, despite the crisis or, maybe I’ll put it another way — precisely because we got caught up in the crisis, a crisis of confidence, wanted to show that the obligations and commitment of Europeans should be more expressive and determined especially at this time,’ he emphasised.
According to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, the Polish leadership has met expectations and maintained the spirit of partnership in the European institutions and EU Member States. ‘The Polish Presidency has worked with great professionalism and enthusiasm. 30 years after the introduction of martial law, Polandhas shown its commitment to Europe, democracy and our common values,’ stressed the President of the European Commission.
Prime Minister Tusk remarked, however, that despite the satisfaction with the work that has been done, it cannot be said today that Europein late 2011 is more united than before. ‘I am convinced that you have similar thoughts and a similar need to speak clearly about what is happening in Europe today,’ Donald Tusk said.
It was in that context that Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed the challenges facing the EU today. ‘I declared my commitment to the European community, knowing that we were embracing the Presidency during an extensive crisis, not only financial but also a crisis of confidence, and now it should also be called a systemic and political crisis,’ he explained. According to the head of Polish government, the European Union today faces a serious choice about its future. ‘We are standing at a crossroads, in front of us is a very serious choice, whether in this time of crisis we choose the community path or national and state egoism; selfishly seeking rescue and seeing the community as ballast is not the best way out of the crisis for Europeans,’ he stressed.
In his speech, the Prime Minister appealed for a start of talks on a politically more efficient Europe. Donald Tusk remarked that Europedeserved swift decisions on the financial crisis and the future. He added that the source of the financial and political crisis is not European integration. ‘The last six months have shown that it is exactly the opposite,’ he said. The Prime Minister also spoke about the changes that should occur. ‘Europe, not only for the duration of this crisis, but also for the future requires strong political leadership,’ he noted.
