Posted on 06/13/2007 9:41:31 PM PDT by Atlantic Bridge
Next week European leaders will gather in Brussels for the final event of Angela Merkel's EU presidency. According to German commentators, though, the summit is shaping up to be a showdown between Merkel and her neighbors east of the Oder River: Poland's Kaczynski twins.
With a successful G-8 summit under her belt, German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces what is arguably the most important summit of a season that has seen her serve simultaneously as the rotating president of the European Union and the G-8. European leaders will meet in Brussels next week for final negotiations on Merkel's plan to ressurrect the failed EU constitution....snip
snip....In exchange for concessions, Merkel appears close to winning the support of every country but Poland and the Czech Republic for her constitution lite. Voting provisions in the current draft foresee decisions in the 27-member block needing the backing of at least 55 percent of its members representing 65 percent of the EU population. Poland's intransigent Kaczynski twins are demanding additional voting weight and the Czech Republic is also unhappy, saying the qualified majority system will favor larger EU countries like Germany.
(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...
"....Thanks to the smart diplomacy of the German G-8 presidency, most of the problems now suddenly seem solvable. Poland is the only country that appears to enjoy playing the role of spoil sport. The governments in Warsaw and Prague may still be expressing solidarity for each other's positions, but when push comes to shove the Czechs could abandon the Poles. Then Warsaw would stand completely alone.
The Kaczynski brothers don't seem to think much of the fact that the EU is a community of solidarity. Nor does it mean much to them that Germany, more than any other country, helped pave the way for Poland to join the EU. But they are clearly aware that the EU has a lot of money to distribute. It would be good, therefore, for Merkel to remind Germany's difficult partner east of the Oder River that important EU budget negotiations will begin in 2008. If the Poles continue to blockade any agreement (on the constitution), they will soon pay a high price for it....."
Personally I do not understand that the Polish president is obtaining his membership in a club whose aims and values he is rejecting. It would be no loss of face to Poland to leave the EU and such would not exclude a good and neighborly relationship.
Do the brothers every switch desks to see if anybody notices? Hehe. IT would be cool if they worked in the same office together.
I don’t think the extra money is worth it for Poland. The EU constitution is nothing more than a bunch of socialist elitists in Brussels telling the whole of europe what to think and do. They want countries like Poland to get used to the financial handouts so they can blackmail them with the pulling of that money if they don’t submit to socialism and a secular form of society.
“Personally I do not understand that the Polish president is obtaining his membership in a club whose aims and values he is rejecting. It would be no loss of face to Poland to leave the EU and such would not exclude a good and neighborly relationship.”
The problem is that Germany and it’s lackeey’s are not playing fair. Before Poland joined EU there were three main subject which were supposed to be discussed. “Schengen zone and new countries”, “new countries having Euro currency” and “methods of voting”. The two first were more important and could be voted without new countries because anyway we could not agree to them. But Germans accelerated talks on the methods of voting before Poland and other new states could decide... This does actually nothing to prove those “good and neighborly relationship”
http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article946517/Polen_nun_doch_zu_Kompromiss_bereit.html (in German)
Looks as if Kaczynski is softening his tone since his meeting with Sarko. The good thing about Poland is that their steady sticking-the-stick-into-the-wheel stimulates thoughts about where this train is heading to. The loss of sovereignity to Brussels must be kept to the minimum.
If you are talking about ex-communist countries stop using your “western europe” attitude.
We are not the ones which have fatcated on US Marshall Plan... we didn’t get bilions of dollars to start up. We start up from the scratch. So far, we have achieved more then Germany with Marshall Plan it takes time to transform from commanded economy to capitalism.
I’d say... take your pills and wait.
Brits screwed up with protectionism of miners market... that was the main threat... German economy was made in “American way” as Germans where on their knees and had no choice, whereas UK have chosen their own way.
Now you are biting the hand that fed you...
“The problem of the Warsaw pact states was not being left out of the Marshall plan, it was planned economy and Soviet mismanagement”
You should learn that it all 3 of those things.
“But I’m well within my rights to compare Poland to less socialist nations like the Baltic states with their flat tax regimes and low unemployment.”
Learn it boy, that small markets change much, much faster then the bigger ones, Polish market is huge compared to Baltic states and needs more time to change... Check you numbers and compare... how much bigger is our market... how much more money we make compared to Baltic states, how much is invested here by foreigner...
“Thus, “conservative Poland” vs. “socialist EU” is nonsense. “socially conservative, protectionist Poland” vs. “socially progressive, market-oriented EU” is more like it.”
Our “conservative economy” has been under attack of BdV and it meant the fact that we don’t want to sell our land to Germans... The fact that we don’t want to be bought over by foreigners does not mean we are “backwards” or whatever... By “we don’t want to be bought over by foreigners” I mean crucial for economy branches like “energy” or “oil”
Gays claim to be socially progresive... good luck on your “German way to normality”
Nope. The German economy was made since 1948 the pure German way. In difference to a "swayed" foreign policy, occupied western Germany had completely free hand in all economical affairs. The reason why Germany had success can be found in its extraodinary skilled workforce. After the war practically everything in our factories was demounted and driven as reparations into the victorious nations of the second world war. The funny thing was, that most of our factories already had the drafts of new and more modern machinery in a hidden desk. Reparations were a tremendous program to modernize the post war German economy. Instead of continuing to work with outdated junk we started a littlebit smaller with much better stuff. Since our products always were (and are) better than those of our neighbours, we Germans had incredible success. Within a few years Germany dominated all European markets. This is something what we are still doing today.
The Marshall plan had a important effect on our psychology, but the practical effects were not decisive. You should not forget that Germany is and was among the very few nations that are the techologial leaders in this world. Practically all important inventions from the car to the nuclear fission were made or fundamentally enhanced by Germany.
Our “conservative economy” has been under attack of BdV and it meant the fact that we don’t want to sell our land to Germans... The fact that we don’t want to be bought over by foreigners does not mean we are “backwards” or whatever... By “we don’t want to be bought over by foreigners” I mean crucial for economy branches like “energy” or “oil”
Love it or hate it. The economy of Poland is de facto completely irrelevant to Germany. You Poles export 28.2% of your goods to Germany and import 29.6% from there while Polands share of German imports and exports is lower than 3%. The BdV (help!) does not play any role for our economic relationship with your country. Your "conservative economy" is a national socialist (not nazi!) bullsh*ht construction. Without help from abroad you guys would be toasted.
...Since 2004, EU membership and access to EU structural funds has provided a major boost to the (Polish) economy. Inflows of direct foreign investment exceeded $10 billion in 2006 alone - and more than $100 billion since 1990 - with major investments being announced by foreign firms in computer, consumer electronics, and automobile component production. In early 2006, Poland reached agreement with its EU partners that will permit it to benefit from EU funds totaling nearly $80 billion during 2007-13....
That are not my words. You can find it here:
The funny thing is that without the EU, Germany and (!) Russia (the second important trading partner of the Poles) Poland is toasted. This country is COMPLETELY dependent on the goodwill of its neighbours. It is indeed true that Poland would have a interesting future outlook, but under the reign of the socialist Kaczynski brothers the development is slowed down in a dramatic way. Espechially the drain of young skilled Poles who escape the depressive situation in their home country to the west is alarming. Such is combined with the by far lowest birthrate in the western world. There are only 1.26 children born/woman in Poland nowadays. Poland will change into a big home for the elderly within a few years if there is no fundamental change.
You are still dealing with 14.9% (November 2006 est.) unemployed and Polish growth is still disappointing as long as we compare it with its neighbours.
That are the bitter facts about the Polish economy.
Now president Kaczynski is asking Germany and the EU for political backup in energy matters. He is asking for more money and he wants a unproportional share of influence. Instead of doing that in a polite way his appearance is rather offending.
Merkel gave herself a deathline in 2009. There are many European countries that want closer cooperation and they do not want a few nations to impose their antithetic positions through obstruction upon them. I think you Poles have to say what you really want now and then you have to deal with the consequenses out of that decision.
One of those consequenses could end in a federation of France, Benelux, Italy and Germany without the rest of the EU. In this case we would leave indeed and the "old" EU would loose its importance completely. BTW - this solution is quite popular among common people in old Europe although it would be a lost chance.. We invited you to take part in European integration. Nevertheless we will not and want not to push you into something that is not wanted in Poland. This would be the worst thing that could happen. Therefore it is better to end this experiment now instead of waiting too long. It is obvious that western and eastern Europe have different visions of its future. Since western Europe has a much bigger proportion (population, economy etc.) than you it should be understandable that we insist to realize some of our fundamental political goals.
LOL ! Dream on Andy.
BTW It’s really not our fault that Germans have smaller dicks.
He has no other chance since the rest of Europe would simply leave the Poles behind if he does not give in. Merkel has through her biography (many of her former fellow students and friends are from Poland) strong interest to keep the Poles "in the boat". But as a realistic politician she knows also that the price for the Polish membership is already much too high since Nice. Therefore Prodi and many other politicians in western Europe suggested a Europe of the two velocities. Personally I think this would be the best solution since you probably know the German bonmot: "Man kann den Hund nicht zu jagen tragen."
Schaun wir mal. ;)
High Grzeg!
Maybe you have a nice sister to take a look into my pants. Then you may find out the whole truth if she is indiscreet. A splitted Europe does not mean that I lost my interest into Polish girls.
But you are right - the average German di*k is smaller than the the "Euronorm", as they found out when some impotent German idiots tried out their brand new eurocondoms. BUT... ...you should know that there are also XXXXL condoms available in good old Germany...
Yawn...
I put my money On Poland. God Bless them and all former soviet states who stand strong against socialism/secularism even the German-EU kind.
As I said - sad.
After all these years of capitalism “socialist style” Germany just manages to beat Poland in poverty and POland has only had just a few short years to emerge from political oppression.
Poland seems to be the place to invest far outpacing economic growth as compared to Germany. Germany is sinking into the morass of Eurabia.
Just to get the dimension:
Germany: GDP (official exchange rate): $2.872 trillion (2006 est.)
Poland: GDP (official exchange rate):$337 billion (2006 est.)
It is useless to compare apples and potatoes.
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