Holiday | LifestyleLetters to the editor

BRUSSELS SUMMIT II

20/06/2007 00:00

by MONITOR
WHICH twin will be representing Poland at tomorrow's EU Summit in Brussels? Will it be president Lech Kacszynski or prime minister Jaroslav Kacszynski? These almost identical twins are playing a game with their own and the international media about which of them will sit at the top table and as recently as yesterday were claiming that they hadn't yet decided. So when the chosen one arrives to take his place everyone will be looking carefully to see whether there is a mole on the Polish left cheek which, apparently, is Lech's distinguishing feature. Of course, it could be a cosmetic mole to confuse their European colleagues over the line Poland is likely to take on the tricky issue of double majority voting. Jaroslav is considered to be the tougher negotiator and risk-taker.

Poland thinks that a proposed change in voting weights in EU Council meetings will reduce its influence and previous negotiations with the German hosts of the summit have got nowhere. Germany and almost all other EU members want a change that will give big states more power vis-a-vis medium-sized countries. Poland wants a sqaure-root system based on member states' populations. Generally the EU tries reaches to reach important decisions by consensus but voting weights become important when that is not possible. Those who know the Kacszynski brothers think they are unlikely to yield on this issue even though they have little support among other member states.