A show of strength from Poland

In or out of the Eurogroup?

Polish officials last week did not seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet on the question of whether Jacek Rostowksi, Poland's finance minister, might attend meetings of eurozone finance ministers.

Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, made it clear that he expects to have a Polish representa-tive at the meetings of the Eurogroup (the finance ministers of the 17 countries in the eurozone), even though Poland still uses the zloty.

“I respect that the Eurogroup can hold its own autonomous meetings. However, the Polish minister – as a representative of the presidency – will be present at those meetings, for informational reasons,” Tusk said in Warsaw on Friday (1 July). “He should be up to date and aware of the discussions in the Eurogroup.”

Future member
Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister, went further during a briefing later that day, suggesting that Poland should participate in Eurogroup meetings because the decisions taken now will have implications once Poland joins the eurozone. “There is a strong interest in having a voice on those rules because they will be set for decades,” Sikorski said.

But the man who would actually attend the meetings, Rostowski, was more cautious. “I don't think it's a point that I would argue,” he said on Saturday when asked to comment on Tusk's demand. “It's not for me to argue that anybody should either be present or not present at Eurogroup meetings, That is obviously entirely for the Eurogroup to decide.”

He conceded that it was “a little bit strange” that the acting director of the International Monetary Fund was present at the last meeting of the Eurogroup (20 June) but there was no representative from Hungary, then the holder of the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers.

Tusk acknowledged: “We have quite a few arguments to convince the Eurogroup that it is in their interests for Poland to be present.”