Warning from Europe: you can’t always get what you want

The rest of Europe is braced for bruising negotiations with David Cameron over reform of the EU. In capitals such as Warsaw, there is bemusement at the idea of 'Brexit'

Eleven years ago Poland threw in its lot, somewhat nervously, with the west and joined the European Union. But in the prime minister's chancellery building in Warsaw - once home to the imperial Russian army's cadet corps - no one now questions the wisdom of its decision.

"Communism left us doubting our abilities," admits RafaA Trzaskowski, the country's secretary of state for European affairs. "We did not know how quickly we would adapt our mentality to the capitalist economy after so many years of communism."

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