EU newcomer, Poland, is following budget talks in Brussels with close interest. The Polish media has expressed anger at British proposals to cut EU funds to its poorer new members. But there's also surprise at the Polish government's decision to side with France. Adam Easton reports.

Listen to the story

The u-turn is particularly surprising because Warsaw and Paris fell out badly over the war in Iraq which Poland supported. Then the French President Jacques Chirac said Poland had missed a good opportunity to shut up. Calling the alliance "a spectacular change of strategy", the Rzeczpospolita broadsheet prints a translation of the joint letter the Polish and French foreign ministers sent to Thursday's Financial Times newspaper. That letter said Britain had championed EU enlargement and it should be prepared to cover its costs.

Elsewhere, a prominent opposition politician, Jan Rokita, says the government shouldn't be afraid of vetoing the budget if Poland is offered less than the 60 billion euros on the table six months ago.

Adam Easton, BBC News, Warsaw

Listen to the words

alliance
close relationship

stingy
not generous

u-turn
a complete change of ideas or plans

fell out
had an argument

shut up
be quiet (not polite)

a spectacular change of strategy
a very big change of plans

championed
strongly encouraged and helped

cover its costs
pay the costs

a prominent opposition politician
a well-known politician from the main party that is not in government

vetoing
refusing to accept

Read more about this story