The Polish government strongly condemned the statements made by Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the ultra-conservative nationalist party, regarding the possibility of Poland’s withdrawal from the European Union.
Jarosław Kaczyński, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and is currently a member of parliament for the Law and Justice Party (PiS), is calling for the abolition of the European Commission, which he describes as “a dangerous institution that should not exist,” as well as the conclusion of a new treaty among member states.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In a speech during a forum, he emphasized that if his demands are not accepted, the existing European treaty “sets forth the conditions for a country’s withdrawal from the European Union.”
“Everything starts with negotiations, and we absolutely must begin them. It is a difficult and risky approach, but the situation is so serious that it is worth using it if other options fail,” he stated emphatically.
Kaczyński’s Open Confrontation with Brussels
PiS, which governed from 2015 to 2023 and left behind the nationalist President Karol Nawrocki as its legacy, had come into open conflict with Brussels by pushing through reforms to the justice system that blatantly violated the rule of law. This move led the European Commission to launch infringement proceedings against Warsaw.
Kaczyński’s party argues that European Union policy is determined by the founding member states, with Germany playing a dominant role, from which it is seeking 1,300 billion euros in reparations for Nazi crimes during World War II.
Jarosław Kaczyński believes that the political climate in Europe is shifting in favor of his own camp, citing a possible victory by far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election and the rise of the far-right Vox party as a key player in the Spanish parliamentary.
Tusk: Today in Poland we are fighting a fierce battle, and I will not lose it
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who served as President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019, appears determined to fight hard against the prospect of his country leaving the European Union.
“Jarosław Kaczyński has just announced that Poland must begin negotiations on the terms of its withdrawal from the European Union. A fierce battle is being waged in Poland today over this issue, among others. A relentless battle. And I have no intention of losing it,” Donald Tusk stated in a post on the X platform.
For his part, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, described the consequences of such a scenario, saying that PiS wants “customs borders with Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Lithuania. Passport controls at airports. An end to subsidies for farmers and investments.”
Sikorski also highlighted the importance of European funds from the SAFE program for financing defense projects, under which Poland, as a neighbor of Russia, Belarus and an ally of Ukraine, has received 43.5 billion euros.
The parliamentary majority often accuses PiS of aligning with the anti-European far right, which is gaining ground in the polls a year before the parliamentary elections.
Amid the backlash, Kaczyński issued clarifying statements. “Tusk is lying, as usual,” he wrote on X. “The European Union is essential, but it needs radical reform (…). We want the Union to work not for the benefit of the elites, but primarily for ordinary citizens.”
The Tusk government consistently highlights the significant benefits Poland has reaped from its accession to the EU in 2004. Over the past two decades, Warsaw has received nearly 268 billion euros, while contributing 99 billion to the European budget. This translates to a “net benefit of over 167 billion euros,” as Radosław Sikorski stated earlier this year.
Two polls conducted in May showed that 60% to 70% of Poles want the country to remain in the European Union.
Source: iefimerida.gr
