Brussels, 01/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - The focus of the meeting between Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday 31 January were preparations for the European Council this Friday 4 February and the Polish Presidency of the EU during the second half of this year. Barroso was pleased to inform the press that the Commission and Poland had a “shared agenda for Europe”. Tusk emphasised that “Poland is a country where European enthusiasm is still alive”. The head of the Polish government asserted that “solidarity” should be and should remain a basic value of European integration and he highlighted the key role played by cohesion policy in this connection. Tusk informed the press that “we believe cohesion policy is the foundation of European solidarity. We need a very deep solidarity among member states, mainly based on cohesion policy”. He also appealed for “more Europe” and a strong European Commission.
Energy. One of the priority domains in which Poland would like more Europe is energy, which will also be at the top of the list of the European Council, this Friday. Tusk explained that a lot of progress had already been achieved but further effort was necessary in order to develop a genuine internal energy market. He highlighted the importance of creating energy grid interconnections north and south. José Manuel Barroso supports Polish goals and said that “a common energy policy should be the next great European integration project”. Barroso would also like to speed up the creation of the internal energy market, in an effort to ensure the comprehensive interconnection of member states. He added that “no member state has to remain isolated from the rest of Europe”.
European Council. Barroso also welcomed the fact that Friday's European Council had been widened to include economic issues and the crisis affecting the euro (as well as external relations, particularly the situation in the Arab world). The debate on economic and monetary issues should help prepare for “important decisions” that will be taken at the March summit, he explained. (H.B./transl.fl)