Poland Talks Tough Against ‘Multi-Speed’ EU Ahead of Rome Summit
- Premier won’t sign Rome declaration if Poland’s goals not met
- Comments come as EU sees ‘systemic threat’ to rule-of-law
Poland will refuse to sign a declaration at the European Union’s anniversary summit in Rome on Saturday unless the document meets its goals, a stance that is set to further distance the bloc’s largest eastern member from its allies.
EU heads of state are seeking to iron out differences on the symbolic declaration before the summit to avoid last-minute wrangling in Rome, where the bloc will celebrate its 60th anniversary as it faces threats from Brexit, the migration crisis and moribund economic growth. Poland is sticking to its tough stance after it refused to sign off on the concluding statement at the last EU summit two weeks ago, where it was the only country not to back former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for a second term as the head of the European Council.