European Union
ORG
European Union
The Polish government has blocked the deal, precipitating a bitter clash with the European Union and stirring a broader debate about economic nationalism and Poland's place in a united Europe. Behind the politics is a genuine dispute: European officials say that when Poland joined the single market, it ceded authority to veto such mergers to Brussels. Whatever misgivings they may have about Italian bankers, they value Poland's brisk growth, not to mention the aid from the European Union, which has brought prosperity, even if unemployment and rural poverty persist.