The new agency will go to Lille in northern France, while Rome placed second, pushing Warsaw out of the final spot in a contest Poland had long been considered capable of winning.
The result came as a surprise because EU diplomats had for months described Warsaw and Lille as the main front-runners.
During successive rounds of voting, Warsaw remained in the top two for much of the process before Rome moved ahead at the final stage, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Małgorzata Krok, the Polish government’s representative for the establishment of the European Union Customs Authority in Warsaw, said after the vote on Wednesday that third place was still the best result among countries from the region.
Behind the outcome were intense backstage talks, political pressure, and strong diplomatic mobilization by France, according to findings by Polish Radio’s Brussels correspondent Beata Płomecka.
Diplomats said Italy also mounted a late push for Rome. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was reported to have personally lobbied other European capitals in recent days, arguing that a win would help her hold back Euroskeptic forces at home.
Some countries that had backed Warsaw are said to have shifted support to Rome, though the final margins were described as very narrow.
France, meanwhile, had been campaigning heavily for Lille for some time. Yet some diplomats questioned the French bid on practical grounds. Concerns were raised over the proposed building’s security, because of its location close to other structures.
By contrast, Warsaw offered three buildings, all of which were said to meet strict security standards.
Poland had also argued that it was well placed to host the new authority because of the experience of its customs service on the European Union’s external land, air and sea borders.
Another point in Warsaw’s favor was its proximity to Frontex, the EU border and coast guard agency headquartered in the Polish capital. This, the Polish government said, would have allowed closer cooperation.
Even so, those strengths were not enough to secure the agency.
Krok said Poland should still be ready to compete for future EU bodies if new opportunities arise.
She said that as an active EU member state, well prepared in substantive terms across many areas, Poland could seek to host another agency in the future and would stand a good chance of success.
(rt/gs)
Source: polskieradio24.pl