Supported by all Member States besides his home country, Donald Tusk was reelected yesterday evening as president of the European Council for a second term until end November 2019. The Council decided to disregard the Polish protests as an internal political dispute which should not affect the reelection of a person whom it thought had done a good job until now.
In his acceptance speech a visibly moved Tusk thanked the Council for the trust it had placed in him and for its show of solidarity.
“As you know, solidarity has always been important in my personal and political life and I really know how much it matters. I know also that it may sound like a paradox because of the context but anyway your decision is an expression of our unity today.”
“I will work with all of you without any exception because I am truly devoted to the united Europe. And I promised myself not to let you down. We must simply start our work again. I will continue to work for a better and more united Europe with all Member States, without exception.”
The Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel commented yesterday (9 March) that the discussion in the Council was "extremely calm and without any big surprise since the positions were known a few hours in advance.”
Poland declared that it would not agree to the final conclusions of the Council but "This does not seem to me to be a disagreement on the substance, but rather a reaction in a bad mood," Michel said. In his outreach to his home country, Tusk declared that he would protect Poland "against political isolation".
The Brussels Times
