Brussels, 24/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - Issues relating to the Schengen area are of paramount importance for Poland, “especially as it takes on the next Presidency of the EU Council”, said Prime Minister Donald Tusk, after the European Council on Friday 24 June. The difficulty lies in the fact that it is necessary to reconcile two needs expressed by different member states over the past few weeks, he explained - first of all, the request to better protect the EU borders against a massive inflow of illegal migrants, and secondly, the need to have guarantees regarding the preservation of the essential Schengen Convention mechanisms, a position defended with force by the Polish government, to allow free movement of European citizens within the area. Prime Minister Tusk said Poland was able to gain consensus on these two positions. He was speaking on the basis of the conclusion of the European Council which stipulates that none of the emergency measures will affect the rights of persons (whether citizens or residents of EU member states) to move freely as established in the Treaties. “Debate was fierce”, confessed the Polish prime minister, while stating his satisfaction that the question had finally been resolved in favour of free movement. The risk of discrimination at European borders, based on racial criteria, is very low, especially given the multicultural nature of the European population. And it is precisely the fight against this risk and the preservation of freedom that should be at the heart of the proposals on control mechanisms that the Commission will henceforth be called upon to develop, he concluded on the question.
The Polish prime minister also spoke on budgetary matters, saying that they were finally witnessing a favourable change in the debate on the next European budgets. From being a debate focused on national interests, the Community aspect now appears to be paramount. In order to strengthen this tendency, the Polish Presidency will organise a conference attended by the representatives of the institutions whose role it is to oversee Community interests, Prime Minister Tusk said. He also expressed the wish for this conference to encourage the most egotistical of politicians to finally use the Community language and allow them to see that the Polish stances on the European budget are not only achievable but beneficial for the EU as a whole. (J.K./transl.jl)