"Poland needs Europe, and Europe needs Poland" - Schroeder

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder yesterday added his voice to a chorus of foreign leaders drumming up support in Poland for EU membership, saying he was sure Poles would back it in a referendum this weekend. "Poland doesn't just need Europe, Europe needs Poland, with all its creative potential... I am convinced that the vast majority of Poles won't miss this historic opportunity," he told reporters after talks with Prime Minister Leszek Miller. Surveys show EU supporters outnumber opponents three to one in Poland, by far the largest of the ten states slated to join the Union next year. Schroeder likened Poland's EU membership drive, and the massive aid it will receive to renew infrastructure and fund farmers, to the rebuilding of Germany after World War Two. (Reuters) A.C.