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WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Poland will be the focus of European attention this week. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks to the European Parliament and Heads of State and Government at a European Union summit that is expected to address a legal issue arising from a recent judgment by the Polish Constitutional Court.
Some opponents of Poland’s nationalist government fear that the court’s ruling has put the country on the path to a possible “Polexit” or exit from the 27-nation EU, as Britain did with Brexit. The government condemns those who promote what it calls “fake news”. Here’s a look at the different views on the matter – and why Poland’s exit from the bloc is unlikely.
THE BACKGROUND STORY
Poland’s government, led by the conservative Law and Justice party, has come into conflict with EU officials in Brussels since it came to power in 2015. The dispute mainly revolves around changes in the Polish judicial system that give the ruling party more power over the courts. The Polish authorities say they are trying to reform a corrupt and inefficient judicial system. The European Commission believes that the changes are undermining the country’s democratic system of checks and balances.
POLAND IS CREATING ANTI-EU RHETORIC
As the dispute over the judiciary grew tense and the Commission threatened to withhold billions of euros from Poland in funds to restore the pandemic, leaders of the ruling parties have sometimes compared the EU to the Soviet Union, the Polish occupation power during the Cold War.
Ryszard Terlecki, the party’s vice-chairman, said last month that if things don’t go the way Poland likes, “we have to look for drastic solutions”. Regarding Brexit, he also said: “The British have shown that the dictatorship of the Brussels bureaucracy does not suit them and turned around and left.”
Marek Suski, another party leader, said Poland “will fight the Brussels occupiers” as it fought against the Nazi and Soviet occupiers in the past. “Brussels sends us overlords to bring Poland to order, to force us on our knees so that we can be a German state and not a proud state of free Poles,” he said.
A KEY RULE ON LAWS
This month, the Polish Constitutional Court challenged the notion that EU law is replacing the laws of its 27 member states with a ruling stating that some EU laws are inconsistent with the country’s own constitution.
This decision – taken by a court dominated by loyalists to the ruling party – gives the Polish government the justification for trying to ignore guidelines of the Court of Justice of the European Union that it disliked – particularly on issues of judicial independence.
The ruling represents another major test for the EU after handling its chaotic divorce from Britain for years
WHAT DO THE POLISH GOVERNMENT SAY?
Polish leaders say it is absurd to think they want to leave the EU and accuse the opposition of playing with the idea of “polexit” in order to gain political gain.
Prime Minister Morawiecki said last week that the opposition “is trying to imply that we want to weaken Poland and the European Union by leaving the EU. Obviously, this isn’t just fake news, it’s worse. It’s just a lie that is being made to weaken the EU. ”
Morawiecki spoke shortly after Poland’s leading opposition leader Donald Tusk, a former EU leader, organized nationwide mass protests in which he expressed support for Poland to remain in the EU.
COULD AN IDENTIFICATION FOR POLAND HAPPEN?
The EU has no legal mechanism to exclude a member. That means that the Polexit from Warsaw has to be triggered. At the moment the idea seems far-fetched, as EU membership in Poland is very popular. According to surveys, more than 80% of Poles are in favor of membership in the bloc.
When Poland joined the EU in 2004, Poles gained new freedom to travel and work in the EU and a dramatic economic change was set in motion that benefited millions.
However, some Poles still fear that this could change. They fear that if new EU funds are withheld from Poland due to rule of law disputes, Poles may at some point feel that it is no longer in their advantage to belong to the bloc.
Some simply fear a political accident such as when Great Britain left the EU. Former British Prime Minister who called for a referendum on EU membership, David Cameron, had tried to keep the country in the bloc. He called for a vote to settle the matter, believing the British would vote to stay. A majority in 2016 didn’t, and Cameron quickly resigned.
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