POLAND: Poland is not prepared to accept extra seats in the European Parliament or any extra rights in the European Commission in exchange for reduced voting rights.
President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland said he is also determined to see a reference to Europe's Christian heritage at the beginning of the constitution text, even if it is in an "introduction" to the document.
He said there would be "no trade-off" on the issue of vote-weighting and it would kept separate in negotiations from other unresolved issues.
Mr Kwasniewski and the Polish Foreign Minister, Mr Wlodzimierz Cimoszewic, both spoke of Poland's readiness to accept a compromise involving a similar voting strength to that in the Nice Treaty.
Mr Cimonszewic said any compromise must "provide a framework for solidarity and flexibility". He said, "Experiencing the collapse of the Brussels summit was a sobering experience for most of the participants," adding that Poland's domestic, political situation had not been given due consideration.
"But now I think a compromise is not just possible but required. The double majority is not ruled out, provided it secures the balance between small, medium and large countries."
Mr Kwasniewski said yesterday that the biggest problem in the treaty negotiations was the "almost pathological deficit of trust" between the negotiating parties. Obsessing over theoretical voting weights would, he said, "in a short time lead to the destruction of the EU".
He said Poland would also have to drop its hang-ups about its place in Europe. "We have to try to drop this parochial approach [to the EU\] anchored in phobia," he said. Poland would be a constructive partner in the EU, he said, and would not use its veto "as a weapon of mass destruction".
"I believe that this can only be used once. If a country invokes this instrument they will push themselves to the margins of Europe." Mr Cimonszewic said Poland was committed to a compromise, but added, "The goodwill of all parties to the treaty has to be confirmed."