[WATCH] Poland set to veto EU summit’s conclusions

Spring summit set to end with a President’s statement after Poland announced it would veto the council’s conclusions

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat with Prime Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni and President of France François Hollande
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat with Prime Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni and President of France François Hollande

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The Polish government has decided ‘to veto’ the conclusions of the council after 27 leaders of the European Union re-elected Donald Tusk for a second term as president of the European Council.

Poland has vehemently opposed the re-election of its own Polish politician and has now informed the rest of the leaders it will not agree with conclusions of the European Council.

“We knew this would happen,” Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told reporters.

Muscat this afternoon chaired the session during which Tusk was reconfirmed at the helm of the European Council.

Poland’s opposition to the council conclusions means that the outcome of the summit will just be marked with a President’s statement.

Asked what Poland’s decision meant for the European Union, Muscat said that the bloc must now work to bring Poland back into the fold.

“It means that there is a member state who is not happy with the decision taken by the other 27 and we have to find ways to work with Poland.”

He defended Poland’s position as “a legitimate one”: “Poland took a political decision, and it was a legitimate one. We now have to work them to solve [this problem].”

Muscat appeared to rubbish off suggestions that this may push Poland towards a EU exit. “I don’t think there is political willingness to move towards that direction.”