Saryusz-Wolski not invited to the EU summit

The Polish government's candidate for president of the European Council, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, will not be invited to attend the EU summit to present his program, the Maltese presidency of the European Union said. “The reason is that you need unanimity from all heads of state to invite somebody external,” the spokesman said, explaining that some of the EU leaders were against the idea. MEP Saryusz-Wolski is running opposite the incumbent Donald Tusk in a rare showdown of two politicians from the same nation vying for the same top spot. “We cannot allow the creation of such a dangerous precedent whereby a democratically-elected government in a member state comes under political attack from the president of the European Council,” Polish PM Beata Szydło said in a letter to the other EU leaders. Tusk dismissed the accusation calling it a political domestic move. “I am, and I should be also in the future, impartial and politically neutral versus all 28 member states,” Tusk said. “The renewal of Tusk's mandate has very large support,” said one senior EU diplomat quoted by Reuters. The EU leaders are expected to pick the EC President on Thursday, with both Poles being the only candidates for the job so far. This would be the first case when such decision will be put to vote. So far the European Commission leader was picked unanimously.