The Latest: Poland's PM urges deep changes in EU

BRUSSELS – The Latest on the European Union summit taking place in Brussels Friday (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

Poland's prime minister has used a spat between her country and other European Union member states over the re-election of Donald Tusk to a EU top job to illustrate the need that she sees for deep changes in the club.

Beata Szydlo spoke Friday following a summit that re-elected Tusk as head of the European Council against opposition from his native country, Poland.

Szydlo, who heads a nationalist government, said the vote ignored Poland's opinion and thus exposed EU's imperfections. She said those problems should be mended, or the union will face new divisions.

She said a declaration to be signed at a special summit in Rome later this month should guarantee equal rights to all members and clearly indicate the direction of EU reforms.

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4 p.m.

Top European Union officials were struggling to reassure smaller countries from the east that they would not be left behind as the bloc charts its future without Britain.

At a summit in Brussels marred by a rift with Poland, the presidents of the European Council and executive Commission repeated calls for unity as the remaining 27 nations debate whether the world's biggest trading bloc should become a federal super-state or temper its ambitions.

"Our main objective should be to strengthen trust and unity within the 27," European Council President Donald Tusk said after chairing the final session of the two-day meeting. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

The session was meant to focus on preparations for a grand meeting in Italy on March 25 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the EU's founding Treaty of Rome, but spiraled into an argument about whether heavyweight states should be allowed to forge ahead alone.