On 13 December 1981 the Communist junta in Poland introduced martial law. Tanks and soldiers took to the streets in order to quell the fight for the independence of Poland led by the Solidarity - the first free and independent trade union behind the iron curtain. Thousands of people were imprisoned, a number of protesters were shot dead by the Communist militia during strikes in factories and mines. 26 years later, exactly on the same day - 13 December - the Polish Prime Minister came to Brussels to participate in a European summit and to sign the Lisbon Treaty. As I walked down the Schuman district the streets looked shockingly similar...
