Poland in the EU

Who is more unwelcome at the EU summit in Brussels this Sunday? Is it the Polish president Lech Kaczyński or the Czech president Vaclav Klaus?

For those following the backroom deals in the EU this is the rather amusing question today. The Czech government invited only one person per country to the summit on Sunday. This, not for the first time, cause a small row in Poland. The prime minister Donald Tusk is certainly coming: he invited his Central European colleagues to breakfast at the Polish embassy, so difficult not to show up.

But the president Lech Kaczynski said he would come too. It took a frank conversation between the two on Wednesday to make him change his mind. We were informed of this on Thursday. Now we hear from the presidential palace that he is not going after all, since economic issues to be discussed at the summit are not the president's prerogative. Good thing he remembered.

So now the only question is: who did not want Kaczyński there? The Polish government washes its hands: after all, its the Czechs who designed the "one chair per country rule". - The Czech government didn't want Klaus there - whisper the Poles.

The Czech government whispers something completely different: - Klaus wouldn't come anyway, he very rarely does. We were doing the Polish government a favour.

So who didn't want whom in Brussels? Exceptionally, the truth is probably on both sides. The Polish government certainly prefers summits without president Kaczyński. Especially when there is a prize to be had, like creating the impression of unity of Central Europe concerning the crisis. But was the Czech government really not afraid that Klaus could decide to show up? I doubt. At least one Czech politician told me they want "no Klauses" at the summit.