It is not even a member yet, and already Poland is giving the European Union problems

It is not even a member yet, and already Poland is giving the European Union problems; causing peripheral nuisance at a time when constitutional wrangles and French and German deficit rule-breaking are convulsing the heart of the European project. That partial view of the largest of the 10 countries set to join the EU next May has hardened in Brussels as the historic date approaches. Instead of the anticipated embrace of long-separated relations, the Poles find themselves accused of unseemly haggling over agricultural subsidies and voting rights, and lagging on essential reforms. To many observers, the surprise is not that the nitty gritty of EU enlargement is proving complicated--it could hardly be otherwise--but that eastern Europe's largest nation, whose 40 million population exceeds that of the other nine newcomers combined, should appoint itself at the head of the awkward squad. Once held up by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and by itself, as a model of a postcommunist market-oriented reform, Poland was a vocal supporter of the reformed European ideal and a loyal ally to its neighbor and major benefactor Germany. Now Warsaw stands accused of an intransigent and narrow pursuit of its national interest. The subtext of the criticisms is that Poland should stop trying to maximize short-term gains, get organized, and be more grateful.