The Polish government wants Lech Wałęsa to join EU’s group of wise men. Is this a good idea?

Michał Kubicki reports 

The Polish government wants former president and Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa to be included in a group of ‘wise me’ who are to look at the long-term future of the European Union. According to some reports, not all foreign politicians have warmed to the idea.

The formation of the body, initially called a ‘reflection group’ and now a ‘group of wise men’ was proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The decision was taken at the EU summit in Brussels in December 2007. The group is to act as an advisory body and is to be composed of nine members. They are to focus on Europe in the next decade, starting in 2010, mostly on the economic challenges of globalization.

According to some reports, former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzales, would like Poland to be represented by someone else, and not by Lech Wałęsa. Chief of Poland’s European Integration Committee

Mikołaj Dowgielewicz says Prime Minister Tusk has been lobbying for Wałęsa’s candidacy: ‘If the group is formed this week it seems to me that Wałęsa will be included because support for his candidacy is very tangible. I can confirm that Prime Minister Tusk took up the issue during his recent visits to EU capitals.’

Mr Tusk visited Paris and Berlin a few days ago. Chief of the European Integration Committee stresses that no arguments against Wałęsa have been put forward through official channels: ‘If there had been any reservations, they should have been presented in very concrete terms. The Polish government believes Walesa is a strong candidate. There had been some rumours about opposing views but we managed to put an end to them.’

According to unofficial sources, Wałesa’s inability to speak any foreign language was taken up by Spain but some reports said that Felipe Gonzales did not want to have anyone of Walesa’s stature in the group.

Marcin Sobczyk, Warsaw Bureau chief of Interfax Central Europe explains why the Polish government supports Lech Wałęsa: ‘The government is very supportive of Lech Wałęsa as a historical figure and as someone who stands in opposition to the current president Lech Wałęsa. Over the past two decades, Wałęsa has not been very popular in Poland. He lost his second term presidential election to Aleksander Kwasniewski. His image in Poland was in very stark contrast  with the image that he seems to have enjoyed outside Poland as a historical figure, as one of the key persons who helped topple communism. He’s widely respected and he should be.’

Such credentials, according to Marcin Sobczyk, may not be enough to be a member of the group of wise men: ‘The fact of the matter is that he’s a simple man and he doesn’t speak any foreign language and so he’s not able perhaps to communicate as easily as is expected in forums like this. For this reason some elites might have problems with accepting him in the current world that is more about elitist reforms than popular movements.’

At a meeting in Luxembourg tomorrow, EU foreign ministers are to decide whether the group of wise men will be appointed at this week’s EU summit.