18 January 2016

Remarks by Council President Donald Tusk after his meeting with President of Poland Andrzej Duda

Tusk talked about Poland, the refugee crisis, and said that "it is in the interest of the EU and Poland that the UK remains a member of the European Union," stressing that "there will be no room for discrimination" regarding UK in-working benefits for immigrants.

[...] We discussed the main problems facing European politics today. We have a very similar assessment of the actions needed in the context of the so-called Brexit. It is in the interest of the EU and Poland that the UK remains a member of the European Union. There is no doubt about this. We need to come up with a reasonable compromise, which will not be detrimental to basic European rights, including equality rights. There will be no room for discrimination, which I have been saying from the very beginning of this process, we will instead be seeking a compromise which will enable a successful campaign in favour of the UK staying in the EU, while at the same time protecting fundamental European values.

We discussed European Union's energy security. For many years Poland has co-authored Europe's main security strategy, and I am pleased that there is common ground also in this area, including in relation to Nord Stream 2. Our assessments in this respect are very similar, if not convergent.

As far as the migration crisis is concerned, President Duda has once again said today that Poland is as always prepared to fulfil its obligations, and we exchanged opinions on this. Our opinions are convergent: that the key task is to strengthen the EU's external borders, that effective control of the EU's external borders both guarantees the continuity of Schengen and, above all, is a prerequisite for any kind of migration policy. I am convinced that Poland can play an important role here.Obviously, we also discussed the Polish context, the situation in Poland, including in connection with the decisions made by the European Commission. I want to stress, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, that our face-to-face meeting today has confirmed that the interests of Poland and the EU are the same. [...]

Full statement

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