The European Commission's first vice-president, Frans Timmermans, says that "Poland should be a leader in Europe," but it must cooperate with the EU for this to happen. His comments, made in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza, come at a time of high tension between Brussels and Warsaw, and Timmermans underscored that the EU can and will react strongly to rule of law violations in the country. He pointed out that public opinion in the country remains pro-EU and urged the people to remain strong. "Poland is destined to lead Europe," he said. "But only Poles themselves can fulfil this destiny."