Poland wins concessions in EU treaty deal

After two days of tough talks, Poland says it has the most to celebrate from the EU summit in Brussels. A deal over a new treaty was reached just before dawn on Saturday but only after several member states persuaded Poland to soften its all-or-nothing negotiating stance.

Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who stayed in Warsaw during the summit, said the outcome reinforced his country’s importance in the 27-nation bloc. “It was a major success, not a partial one as the opposition has suggested,” he added.

But for many EU leaders the battle lines were not so clearly drawn. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was heavily involved in the 11th hour brokering, dismissed talk of winners or losers saying the important thing was that Europe could begin working again.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel won praise for having led the negotiations and prompting a final dash for compromise. She expressed extreme satisfaction, saying any other outcome would have been a disaster.

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