WHEN Poland joined the European Union in 2004, says Rafal Trzaskowski, its Europe minister, the old members feared it would be “as terrorising as Spain, as arrogant as France” and as keen on opt-outs as the British. Ten years later and they are more likely to come crawling for advice. Helped by large amounts of EU cash, Poland has become an economic and political role model for the rest of the club, growing by almost 50% over the decade and largely avoiding the lapses into populism or authoritarianism of some others. So it is fitting that this week Donald Tusk, …read more
Source: The Economist
