POLAND: The Polish Prime Minister, Mr Leszek Miller, appointed new agriculture and environment ministers yesterday following the break-up of his centre-left government coalition at the weekend.
Mr Adam Kanski, an independent and former activist in the Solidarity trade union, was appointed agriculture minister in place of Mr Jaroslaw Kalinowski, the president of the Polish Peasant Party (PSL), Mr Miller's coalition partner.
Mr Czeslaw Sleziak, deputy environment minister and a member of Mr Miller's Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) party, has been promoted to environment minister after the departure of PSL member Mr Stanislaw Zelichowski.
Mr Miller sacked both Mr Kalinowski and Mr Zelichowski from the cabinet on Saturday after the PSL voted down a tax to bring Poland's inadequate road system up to EU standards.
Mr Miller looks likely to hold on to power, but is also facing a referendum on EU membership.
"I am convinced that in respect of our EU integration we have a strong majority in the lower house of parliament and that this process is not in danger," his European Integration Minister, Ms Danuta Huebner, said yesterday.
While Mr Miller's government will not automatically fall after the coalition split, his Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and its socialist Labour Union (UP) ally will have difficulty finding a replacement for the PSL's 42 MPs to keep its parliamentary majority. The other parties in parliament would make odd partners for the ex-communist SLD, being either conservative or populist and anti-EU.
Public opinion polls consistently show nearly two-thirds of Poles supporting EU membership, but there has been concern that turnout may fall below the 50 per cent of registered voters needed for a referendum to be valid.
The EUCommission said it was not worried by events in Poland.
"It's not the first time ... that there haave been problems in a coalition here or there," said Jean-Christophe Filori, declining to comment specifically on Polish internal affairs.