Courtesy of The Chancellery of the Prime Minister

In a significant about-face on Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told the press that he is a euroskeptic.

Although the announcement came as a surprise, since Mr Tusk has backed the European project strongly in recent months and is head of a party known for its pro-European stance, his words reflect growing doubts among the country's electorate about the future of the European Union.

“I’m not a euro-enthusiast of the sort that has eyes only on the yellow stars on the blue background, forgetting the white-and-red flag,” Mr Tusk said in reference to the flags of the EU and Poland.

“I’m a common-sense euroskeptic, without any unhealthy fascinations.”

The prime minister explained, however, that it is in Poland's interest that the EU does not fall apart.

Mr Tusk said that one should look with optimism at the future of the bloc.

“I do not think that 2012, as some may want it to be, will be a year of disintegration of the EU. On the contrary, increasingly there are signals [from leaders] of understanding the need for reintegration,” Mr Tusk said.

Poland's PM said that the country's just-ended term at the helm of the Council of the EU could be seen as a source of national pride.

Izabela Depczyk