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“Europe talks Sikorski”, headlines Gazeta Wyborcza the day after Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski delivered a “historic”speech in Berlin in which he urged Germany to act swiftly in order to fight the crisis. Fearing that a “break up of the eurozone would be a crisis of apocalyptic proportions” he stressed that what he fears most is “not German power” but “German inactivity”.
“It’s the beginning of an important European debate”, writes Gazeta Wyborcza’s editor-in-chief Adam Michnik while experts quoted by the daily praise the foreign minister for “having the courage” to speak openly and publicly about issues other politicians think and would only comment in private.
However, the conservative Rzeczpospolita doesn’t understand “the begging tone of the minister who sees German government as the only saviour of the EU” while the main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) wants Sikorski to be tried before a State Tribunal for breaching the constitution and “stripping Poland of its sovereignty”.
In Germany, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is delighted to comment Sikorski’s “remarkable plea” on its frontpage. “Leading, not dominating”, headlines the conservative daily.
German leadership is in demand - but (alleged) signs of German ambitions to dominate are enough to make many European ears prick up, make people hysterical even. [...] Germany’s partners have to accept that it holds to its economic convictions which are more or less successful. [Germany] itself has to resist the temptation of going it alone or striking a supercillious pose.
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