French President Francois Hollande signaled on a Poland visit Friday that both countries should work together against cuts in EU subsidies at a Brussels summit next week. France has rejected a draft budget proposed by EU head Herman Van Rompuy, calling planned cuts to farm subsidies unacceptable, while Poland also opposes reductions to its sizeable funding from Brussels. "It is very important for Europe to make good decisions - France and Poland must jointly make those decisions," dpa cited Hollande as saying after meeting his Polish counterpart Bronislaw Komorowski. France would support a budget that would not be "too extensive," but that will "allow for the financing of major European policies," Hollande said during his one-day visit to Poland. Prime Minister Donald Tusk later said the two countries would "work together to increase funds for a common agriculture policy as well as cohesion, compared to the proposals made so far." The controversial EU funding plans for 2014-20 are the subject of what is expected to be a deeply divisive Brussels summit next week. Net contributors to the EU budget, led by Britain, are demanding that EU spending be cut at a time of economic hardship across the bloc. Hollande said that France and Poland would work together to defend "the same conception" of an EU budget. In a speech later to parliament, Hollande also said France would do everything possible to help Poland join the euro zone. "France will make every effort to get Poland to join the euro zone, when Poland decides to do so," Hollande said. Tusk has said Poland would adopt the common currency in 2012, but the financial crisis has put those plans on hold. It is predicted that Poland will be able to join the eurozone in 2015. -- SPA
